Love's Last Bite
by Hanieya
Summary: Love's Last Bite: This time, Love really can, and will, Kill. My name is Elena Sky. The world was perfectly fine, until the day HE showed up. He's a man that seems to go out of his way to make me hate him, and yet he seems to be something more. Who is he?
1. Meeting the Hot New Guy

Chapter 1: Meeting the Hot New Guy

"Well, then, I guess this is it. There's no turning back now. I made my choice when I ran, and I guess that's the end. No one will come to find me; I'm on my own from now on. There's no one that cares enough to come find me after everything I did, and I don't want them to find me, so I guess it's all good. But, oh man! I wish he were here with me now! How could he do this? After everything! I don't know what to do!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up to the sun pouring on my face, "What the hell?" I yelled. I checked the clock next to my bed, "Damn it! It's 7:00am on Sunday! Dad! Let me go back to bed! Come on!" Yep, typical Elena behavior when you wake her up on her precious Sunday. Oh, did I not introduce myself? My name is Elena Sky, and I'm 15, and I'm about in the middle of 10th grade. I swear, it was the last day before I was heading back to high school, and my lovely father just decided to ruin my last day of freedom by making me wake up at 7:00 in the damn morning! I'm not religious or anything, so why is he doing this to me! A girl needs her beauty sleep, okay? That's not something you mess with.

Okay, fine, I sound like a freakish diva when I say that, but let's just say I'm not much of a morning person. Well, I haven't even told you much about myself except that I'm not a morning person, huh? Well, I have strawberry blonde hair, grayish green eyes, I'm one of those people my friend calls a stick-person, meaning I'm very, very thin, and I have hearing aids. Yeah, um, when I was younger and I was watching T.V, I kept turning the volume up higher and higher, and my parents found out I was a bit deaf, so, there we have it. I go to Windemere Secondary School, but I was originally supposed to go to Killarney, but, well, Windemere is an art school, and I love my art. I love to do gymnastics, and I have a best friend called Chloe. My old best friend, a girl called Winsey from my elementary school went to Killarney without me, and we still keep in touch, but we don't talk that much anymore. Well, um, I guess that's it; the rest really isn't worth talking about. Now, time to find out why I was disturbed from my sleep.

I tuned into what my dad was saying just as he said, "One of my friends is coming to stay with us, him and 18 year old son. His son was accepted into UBC, and they don't have a place to stay yet, so I said they could stay with us. I'm leaving to pick them up in about 5 hours, and I expect you to welcome them."

"What was the point of waking me up if you're going to go pick them up in 5 hours?" I groaned, falling back onto my bed.

"Because, you told me you were going out to lunch with you're friends for lunch at 11, and not coming home until about 3-o-clock. Better tell you now than to forget to tell you later," he replied, stepping out of the room after he finished.

Damn, if I had known there were people coming, I would have scheduled to go to a friend's place for the night instead of having to face the new people. It's not that I'm mean or anything and I don't like meeting new people, it's just that since they're the reason I'm not getting enough sleep, they're already on my not-so-good side. Hmm…18 year old son, huh? He might be hot; this might not be such a bad thing after all…

I got out of bed and put on a sweater and sweats. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, did my hair, the usual routine. I went downstairs, yawning. I bid my mom and grandpa good morning as I sat down in my seat and ate the chocolate-chip pancakes my dad had made, probably to calm me down. I appreciated it, but maybe he should have known I didn't need it. The moment I heard '18-year-old son', I was intrigued. Hmm, maybe I should wait and meet them here…But nah, I needed to go do some pre-school shopping; maybe some new clothes and a pair of shoes.

I played on my Wii before heading out to meet my friends at Metrotown. We talked for a while, gossiped, did what girls did best. At 2-o-clock or so, Chloe nudged me, "Hey, that dude over there is staring at you."

I glanced at the guy she was pointing at, and my heart did a flip; it was the golden boy of Windemere, Daniel Centanio. He was not only freakishly hot, but also smart, funny, athletic, any girl's dream guy. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and all the girls in my grade and his own swooned over him, and no questions why. I'm telling you; that dude should wear a sign on him saying 'Look out! I'm smoking hot!' If Winsey could hear me now, she'd probably laugh. Huh, this is so stereotypical; the golden boy always has blond hair blue eyes and is hot. Does that mean I'm gonna meet the mysterious stranger at home?

I didn't do anything; I just stared back at him, dumbfounded. He had the pick of any girl in the school, so why was he looking at me? We just gazed at each other, until he gave me a small wave and smile before turning back to his own group of friends. I just stared at his back, at a complete lost for words. Finally, when speech seemed to be in my grasp again, I choked out, "What. The. Hell."

"Oh my gosh!" Chloe squealed, "That was Daniel!" And he was totally checking you out! I'm so jealous! I bet he's going to ask you out soon!" Yeah, did I mention that Chloe is very explosive?

"Why would he look at me?" I wondered, inspecting my clothes. I was wearing the same things I usually did when I was cold, and he never spared me a glance before, so why now? I shook it from my head; "There was probably nothing special to it; it'll be back to normal tomorrow. It's not that I didn't want to date him, but the chance was too unlikely, too shocking, too perfect."

About two hours later, an hour later than I said I would be home, I sighed, "I need to go home; I've got some guests to greet." Don't get me wrong, I didn't usually stay out longer than I said I would, but I just wanted to make the guy wait for me, just to tease him. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I wanted to have some fun. It was fun watching Chloe fall for my acting when I tried to make it sound like the guests were some people from my family, and not a guy I had spent almost all day thinking about and trying to picture. Hmm… A hot guy, with tanned skin, six pack, ocean-blue eyes, dark hair, guitar, motorcycle, funny, athletic, smart, lean muscles. Oh good Lord, my mouth was watering just thinking about it; it was a wonder Chloe didn't make me spit out all the details already, but she wasn't paying much attention.

"It's okay," she said, glancing at her watch, "I have to get home anyways. I have some homework from science that I forgot to do. I'll call you later, kay?"

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later."

We went our separate ways from there, her lost in her dread of homework, me lost in my fantasy of the hot guy I would meet soon. Let's just hope he didn't disappoint me, because trust me, I would be very, very pissed off if I got in trouble for a nerdy guy that would spend all day talking about whatever it is that nerds talk about. Boy, was I in for a surprise or what?

"I'm home!" I called, taking off my jacket.

"You're late!" my mom replied.

What was up with them? They were never this touchy when I was late. Besides, it was only 4; they were never this annoyed when it was still early. I walked into the kitchen, from whence I heard voices. My mouth practically dropped open in shock. There, standing at the stove wearing an apron, tight, black tee shirt and jeans, was the hottest guy I had ever laid eyes. He wasn't exactly my type of guy, but he was still extremely hot! Come to think of it, this was more of Winsey's type of guy, tall and mysterious.

This dude was insane. Wanna know what I'm talking about? Simple; I'll describe him for you. Prepare to start drooling. This dude had dark brown, about mid-chin, artistically messy hair, and I saw the most piercing green eyes I had ever seen when he glanced up at me. I'm talking forest green, like, evergreen-trees green. It was the hottest color I had ever seen. Now, this guy also had golden skin, as if he had been in the sun for hours doing drool-worthy things. His arms were lean with muscles that would probably be rock hard if I touched them. I had a sneaky suspicion that he had an eight pack under there. Crap, that sounds so wrong.

That wasn't it though, as my parents started to tell me as I sat down at the table, still staring at the guy. I learned in a few short minutes-all of which I spent staring at him as he cooked- that his name was Arsenio, which meant manly in Latin, where the name was taken from. Let me tell you, the name suited him extremely well. He had been accepted for sciences at UBC, and he planned to become a doctor to help the sick in Africa, he played guitar, and could sing too, he used to play basketball and hockey at his old school in Madrid, and he had graduated high school with a perfect 4.0 GPA as top of his class and valedictorian. My parents also let slip that he rode a motorcycle, so I could ask him for rides instead of them all the time. They didn't have to tell me; the minute I heard motorcycle, I was already planning to beg for one.

After my parents finished, they introduced me to their friend, a doctor looking kind of guy; very intelligent, but also very nice. His name was what, Dr. Rivera. _Huh, Rivera, kind of like Riviera in France. I guess that makes it Arsenio Rivera? Not bad, not bad at all._ I was so frickin' obsessed with the guy, and I'd only known he existed for a few minutes. I really need to find something to distract myself with… After shaking hands with Dr. Rivera, my parents nudged me, indicating that I should introduce myself.

By then, the hot Spanish had finished whatever he had been making and put it in the oven to bake, and sat at the table, helping himself to some water. He kept his eyes on me, waiting for my answer. His gaze was so piercing I thought I would die. Turning a deep shade of red, I ducked my head and said, "I'm Elena Sky; nice to meet you." It was uncharacteristic for me to be so shy, but, well, if you had a really hot Spanish in the room staring at you, you would be too.

"We have some catching up to do," my dad said, "Why don't you kids go watch a movie or something in the living room?"

Both of us shrugged and stood, going to the living room, "We have a Wii," I said, "You want to go on it?"

He glanced at me, "You're an interesting girl," he said finally after staring at me for a few moments, and walked in to the living room. I had no clue what he meant, but his voice had absolutely killed me, and I mean killed in a good way. Killed in a I-can-die-happy-now kind of way. I'm serious, his voice was that amazing; it was like he had taken a bit of silk and slid it over my skin. I shivered and followed him, to find him starting up our Wii.

He smiled, "What do you want to play?"

"You can pick."

"How do you feel about volleyball?"

I grinned, "You have no idea what you're about to face." If there was one sport, a real sport, that I was good at, it was volleyball. This dude, no matter how hot, was about to get smashed to the ground.

Ten minutes later, I was proven wrong; he had beaten me almost every game, except one when he was distracted by his dad calling his name. Yeah, I was feeling pretty stupid now, and I was also pretty tired. "You are really good," I said a while later, "Did you play volleyball in Madrid too?"

He shrugged, "No, that was my first time." At my stare, he laughed and said, "Yo, calm down, I was just kidding. Yeah, I played volleyball too, mind if I give you some pointers so you put up more of a challenge next time?" Great, a hot Spanish dude with an amazing sense of attitude too; this dude was seriously any chick's dream guy.

I shrugged too, pretending he hadn't just busted my pride like crap, "No, I think

I'm good." I would have come up with a better response, but at that moment, staring in his eyes, I didn't have a clue what to say. My breathing hitched up as he moved closer to me, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. He dashed every thought from my mind as he gazed into my eyes, just staring at me. I lost myself in his eyes, those wonderful, beautiful eyes. He stared at my lips; he wanted to kiss me, and good Lord, I wanted to kiss him too. He moved closer, reaching out an arm to pull me closer. He looked in my eyes, as if asking for permission. "_Oh man, do it!_" I begged.

He moved sharply away from me, crying out in fright. He moved all the way to the other side of the room, avoiding my eyes. We were both panting heavily. My pant was more of desire and outrage that he hadn't kissed me, and his was more of fright I think. He was mumbling words I couldn't understand to himself. I was taking Spanish, yes, but he was speaking amazingly fast and quietly. I caught bits of it, and what I heard meant "Oh my God, oh my God." That was all I could understand.

After a minute, he regained his posture, and was back to his easy-going, confident self. I'd learned during our volleyball game that he was a kind person by nature, but he was also arrogant because of all the good he did. "What was that about?" I asked when I had gotten my breath back, "You wanted to kiss me."

He shrugged easily, as if it had been nothing special, "I did," he admitted casually, "But I didn't know if you had a boyfriend or not, so I pulled away. After all, a girl as beautiful as you must have somebody."

My breath caught when he had called me beautiful, and I blushed such a deep shade of red, I was surprised I didn't explode. "I don't have one," I said, "So kiss me." Wow, I was being bold today.

He took a deep breath as I watched him intently, "Would you like to go out with me?" he asked.

My mouth fell open, though I'm not quite sure why; his request was perfectly reasonable and understandable. So why was I so shocked? _Wait, stupid question, it's because a freakishly hot guy just asked me out. Duh!_ I nodded, not trusting my mouth to speak.

He nodded, though it looked somewhat grim. After that, our parents called us in for dinner. We walked into the kitchen together, him holding the door open for me like a gentleman. We had dinner, pretended nothing had happened, and then after dinner, he just…changed.

I don't mean changed as in he changed out of his clothes for different ones, but I mean his behavior changed. Dramatically. One moment, I was sitting in my room all happy and daydreaming about where he would take me, and the next, he came bounding in my room and started gushing about how we would go to the movies with matching sweaters. I stared at him, dumbfounded, as he bounced around the room, squealing about how much fun it would be, and what we would do, and what we would where, and damn it, it is freaky seeing a guy act like that! "Did you hit your head on something after dinner while I was in here?" I asked finally when he paused to take a breath.

"Why would you think that?" he asked. Tears brimmed his eyes, and he looked like a sad little puppy that was about to cry. Trust me, seeing that on a guy is the weirdest thing ever.

"What happened to you?" I asked, turning away from the look on his face. Normally, I would have laughed if a guy had done that, but this guy had asked me out; if he acted like that in public…I can't even think of what's going to happen. "A while ago you were so manly and so arrogant. Now you're…you're acting like a girl!"

Tears fell from his eyes and he started sobbing his eyes out, "I knew you wouldn't like me for me!" he cried, hands over his eyes, "I knew I shouldn't have shown you that side first! I thought you would like me if I put on a cool front first! I was so stupid!" He grabbed me and shoved his face up to mine, "This is what I'm really like!" he cried, "You hate me now, don't you? Don't say it! Don't say that you hate me!"

He was acting like such a kid; either he was a very, very good actor, or this was for real. "Is this some kind of joke?" I whispered, backing slowly away from him.

He gave one wail and fled the room. I fell on my bed, at a lost of what to say and do. _"Okay,"_ I thought, _"I'll just go take a shower and sleep, and the next morning, it'll be as if this day never happened."_ I did exactly that and went to sleep, praying that either he was messing with me, or that I had never met him. Guess which one happened?

That's right, neither of them did. The next morning, I found him cooking in the kitchen, "Morning," I said, yawning. _Okay, one wish didn't work; let's hope the other did. _

He didn't answer me, just looked at me with tear-stained eyes. "Good Lord," I whispered, "It wasn't a dream."

Then he spoke, "Um, not to pressure you or anything, but do you still want to catch a movie?" he asked shyly. It is freaky seeing a hot guy act this humble, I'll give you that much.

I sighed, _"Don't judge people from the start; get to know them, then decide if they're good or not."_ "Ok, let's do it," I said, nodding. _I'm probably gonna regret this…_


	2. Fiasco to the Max

Chapter 2: Fiasco to the Max

I knew I was going to regret it; I just knew I was, and you know what? I was proven right. I was so frickin right it's not even funny anymore.

See, the day started out just fine, in fact, it started out really, really good. My dad dropped me off at school, and I went in to find Chloe and tell her about Arsenio. When I found her and told her, she squealed and said that I was lucky to have such a cute guy in my house. Then, when I told her about how he acted after dinner, her mouth dropped open. The first thing she said was, "That is the weirdest thing ever." _Let me tell you, I agree with her completely. I guess it makes sense though; no guy in the world is that perfect. See, he has perfect looks, perfect brains, and he's every girl's dream guy, except the damn personality. I mean seriously! The dude is a wimp. Good Lord, I'm being so mean, I must be channeling Winsey or something. This is so messed up._

We spent most of the rest of the day talking about Arsenio, because, well, he was the weirdest thing that had happened in a few days. At lunch, we sat in our normal spot, and started eating, still talking about him. A shadow fell over us, and I looked up to see, to my surprise, "Daniel, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged, a heart-stopping smile on his face, "Can I eat with you guys?"

I looked at my friends, who were all looking at him in awe, and some of them were blushing like mad, "Sure," Chloe said, before I could say anything, "Sit down, talk with us. Where are your other friends?"

He dropped his bag next to mine and sat down, our shoulders just touching, "The guys are ditching with their girlfriends, and I can't stand all those idiots who think it's cool to ditch class." _See what I mean by golden boy? He doesn't like to skip, but why would he come to hang with us? I'm not complaining or anything, but why us? Out of all the groups in the school, why choose us?_

I asked it too, "Why us though? Why not any of the other people?" Chloe elbowed me in the ribs when she realized what I was saying, which made the last few words a little pained.

He shrugged, and flashed a hundred watt smile at me, "Cuz I think you and your friends are hot."

All of our mouths fell open; that was probably the last thing I was expecting. He had his pick of any girl in the school, and he thought we were hot? Either this is a dream, or a seriously messed up day, but if it's a dream, do not pinch me, I don't want this to end; it's too good to be true. "Are you serious about that?" I finally managed to squeak.

He grinned and put his ear close to my mouth and whispered, "Especially you, Elena."

I swear I thought I would die at that minute; my face was so hot you probably could have cooked a full meal on it, and they would all be well done. That was how fiercely I was blushing, and I wasn't even joking about it either. My face was honestly that red. He didn't say anything afterwards, and the rest of lunch went by a good deal smoother after that, though I have to admit I couldn't help but wish he had kept talking to me. Though I will say that he was flirting shamelessly with me as if the others were not there. I can honestly say I had a very good meal that day.

After school though, when I left with my friends, I found a guy in a motorcycle sitting outside the front doors. When he saw me, he started waving. _Damn, that can't_ _be…_ It seems fate didn't want to be on my side today though. Sure enough, it was Arsenio.

"Hey, who is that?" Daniel asked.

I jumped; I hadn't realized that he had followed us out, "It's just a family friend," I said hastily, "He came to pick me up."

"He?" Daniel repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice, "It's a he? Does that mean I have competition already? I was hoping for a few weeks before guys started swarming you." _Does he know how to charm a girl or what?_

"Don't worry, I don't think about him that way." "_Or, I don't anymore. I used to,_ _and I almost kissed him last night too, but that's a story for a different time_," I finished in my head. _Yeah, there's some stuff he was better off not knowing about._ I stood there for a minute before waving awkwardly to my friends and heading over to Arsenio.

"Hey!" he gushed. Why couldn't him acting like a girl have been a dream?

"Hey," I replied, sighing.

"Are you ready for the movie?"

"Yeah." Well, I had already agreed to it, I guess I couldn't back down now, no matter how much I want to. His face seemed to get a little darker before clearing up again.

"Okay!"

He patted the seat behind him, motioning for me to get on. I put on the helmet he gave me and he made sure I had my arms securely around his waist before he revved the engine and sped off. We arrived at Metrotown with almost 20 minutes before the start of the movie, so he asked, "Want to get something to eat?"

I shrugged, "Sure." We walked to the food court and he bought me a blizzard from Dairy Queen and a milkshake for himself. We found a booth and sat down, both of us saying nothing. It wasn't exactly an awkward silence, but it wasn't very comfortable either; it's just that neither of us knew what to say, it was that simple. We finished eating in silence, and then he asked, "So, was it good?"

For a minute, I thought I heard a ghost of his snarky attitude, but it seems I was mistaken, "It was alright," I shrugged.

"I know this isn't your idea of a perfect date," he replied, "Who would want a guy that acts like a girl for a boyfriend, after all?"

"You don't always act like a girl; you're not acting like one now," I pointed out in return.

He shrugged, "Don't remind me; I'll go back. So, like, when do you want to head over? Cuz the movie starts in like, 10 minutes!" Damn, he was back in his girly mode. "We're going to watch 'Ghost'!"

"Ghost? Isn't that a romantic tragedy?"

"Totally! That's the point!" With those words, he practically dragged me out of my chair and towards the theatre. When we got there, we bought our tickets and went in. It was the weirdest movie ever. I don't mean weird as in the movie itself was weird, it was actually pretty good, it was the fact that a 18-year-old guy was sitting next to me sobbing his eyes out at the sad parts, even when I didn't. It doesn't get much weirder than that, trust me. I listened to him 'aw' and cry with the rest of the girls around me, thinking that I was so dropping him when the movie was over.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the movie ended and we left. "That was the best movie ever," he sobbed, blowing his nose loudly on a napkin. He'd been doing that ever since we left the theatre almost 5 minutes ago. "It was so sweet!"

"Yeah, it was."

"You didn't like it?"

"I liked it," I said hesitantly, "But, Arsenio, it was kind of awkward and embarrassing with you crying next to me when I'm supposed to be the one crying, since I'm the girl."

"What? Just because I'm a guy I can't cry?" he demanded, turning on me.

"I don't mean that…okay, yes, I do mean that. It's just, you don't usually see a guy crying at the movies, and you almost never see the guy begging to go to a chick flick. It was just really odd, and I don't really think I like it that much."

"So what are you saying?" His voice sounded so cold, so hurt.

"I don't want to go out with you anymore.," I said, looking up at him defiantly.

He blinked, "So that's it? No 'it's not you it's me' crap? No 'I hope we can still be friends'? That's it? You're just going to leave me and kick me out of your life?"

"Well, I was hoping we could be-"

"Save it, A- Elena, I don't want to hear it, I really don't." He turned without another word and headed towards the exit. He was walking so fast it was hard for me to keep up, even slightly jogging.

"Hey!" I called, "Arsenio! Wait up!"

He looked at me over his shoulder coldly, "Get your own ride home; I'll do what you want, I'll get out of your life. You'll never have to hear a word about me again. If I could have it my way, you would never have to see me again either."

And he just left me there. Just like that. He walked away, back to his motorcycle, and sped off without a glance backwards, and I just stood there looking like a complete fool. I don't know how long I stood there in shock, I just knew that I was starting to attract a lot of attention.

When I regained my mind enough to process what had happened, I huffed and made a face, _"I can't believe he just left me like that! How could he!"_ I supposed I had been pretty mean though, after all, he was doing his best to be nice; I just hadn't really been all that in to him.

While I thought about that, I noticed something suspicious about that last look he gave me. _What was it? He seemed to have a resigned look on his face, apart from the hurt and anger there. I also detected a hint of, what was that, satisfaction? But it was not satisfaction in a good way at the same time, more like, grim satisfaction; satisfaction in a bad way. Why would that be? Did he want me to ditch him? If that was the case though_, _why did it look so painful?_ My head was spinning with questions, but not nearly enough answers. It was too much for my brain to handle all at once. First, I had to find a way to get home.

I took out my wallet, "$10," I muttered, "Plenty enough to get home." I walked over to the bus station and hopped onto a bus, heading home. I walked the last few blocks home from the bus station, trying to clear my head of all the junk in it, and trying to just not think for a few minutes until I got home to the drama again.

When I got to my front door, I took a deep breath and opened the door. "You're home!" my dad said, smiling from the kitchen. I looked around; no sobbing Arsenio, not yelling parents, what happened? "Where are the Riveras?" I asked nonchalantly, trying to act as if I didn't care, even though I swear my heart was going to burst out of my chest at any second.

"David, er, Dr. Rivera told me after he got home from work today that he found a place to stay not far from here, so they're just packing up."

"They're leaving?" I squeaked.

"They leave tomorrow afternoon," my mom said, "So you have time to say goodbye."

"Yeah, um, I'm just going to go to my room now," I replied, dazed. I walked to my room as quickly as I could without making it look suspicious, and closed the door behind myself before falling onto bed. "You know," I said aloud as I stared at my ceiling, "When I asked for drama this year, I didn't think I would actually get it." Wow, was my life messed up right now or what? I had a guy that I went out with once, and now hates me, and I have a really cute guy at school that suddenly wanted to hang out with me. _What the heck am I supposed to do now?_ Well, there was the obvious answer, which was go out with Daniel and completely forget about Arsenio, but I didn't really want to forget about him. I mean, when I first met him, he was practically like a god; he was that awesome, but now, what happened to him? He said he was acting like that just to make me like him, but why did I get the sense that he was lying? Ugh, this is giving me a headache! Well, I guess there was only one thing to do then if I wanted answers; go straight to the source and scream until I got them.


	3. What is Going On?

Chapter 3: What is Going On?

Let's just say that no matter how loud you can scream, a childish guy whose heart you just broke can scream much, much louder. "GO AWAY!" he'd screamed, "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Trust me, that probably made me a good deal deafer than I already am; it wasn't the best combo. So, obviously, I didn't get any answers. Well, what's done is done. He wasn't right for me, so I broke up with him. I did what was right for me…so why do I feel so bad?

That was the question that had bugged me for hours. It even stayed with me as I lay in bed trying to sleep. Why did it feel like Arsenio was lying? Why did it feel like there was something wrong with the way he acted? I shook my head; there was something seriously wrong with the picture. I just didn't know what it was, but I was determined to find out.

The next morning, I got up early, just to find Aresenio and try and force some answers out of him. However, his room was empty when I got there, and when I went to ask my parents where he had gone, they told me he had gone out for a run just a few minutes ago. Damn it, I swear that dude was just avoiding me. However, he didn't know how Elena acted. If she wanted something, she was damning well going to get it.

That day, the first thing I heard when I got to school was Chloe hissing in my ear, "So how did the date go?"

I glanced her, "How do you think?"

"Fail?"

"Absolutely. He was acting like a total girl, so I broke up with him, and now he never wants to look at me again. He's so pissed off at me."

"Well, that's kind of a good thing too, isn't it? I mean, it's not like you were that into him in the first place."

Was I though? Did I really still like Arsenio even though he acted like a total baby? What was it about him that kept me thinking about him? Was it the fact that he seemed to have done it on purpose?

"'Him?' I thought you said I didn't have any competition," a voice said behind us.

Chloe and I spun around to see a smiling Daniel. "Daniel!" Chloe said in surprise, "What're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd walk you two to class, if you don't mind my company," he said. Dude didn't even bat an eye as he said that.

Chloe and I both turned a bright shade of red and stuttered our agreement, even as my head was screaming 'Keep it cool Elena!' at me over and over again. _"Why is he doing this?"_ I wondered, _"What's up with the sudden attention?"_ It should have thrown me off way more than that, but for some reason, I felt the need to just ignore the oddity of the situation and play along. Why though, I have no idea.

He walked beside me towards our classroom, chatting easily with Chloe, as I stood sandwiched in the middle. Thoughts raced through my mind, but my earlier confusion about Arsenio completely vanished from my mind, and now all I could think about was Daniel.

No matter how much I tried to think about Aresenio, the thoughts would instantly escape me. It struck me as weird even back then, but I didn't think too hard about it, thinking that it was just because I liked Daniel better. Maybe later it'll strike me that that made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

As we reached mind and Chloe's classroom, Daniel smiled a golden smile at her and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Elena outside alone for a moment, Can you excuse us?"

She nodded and sent a wink at me as she went into our classroom. I turned to Daniel, my heart thumping loudly in my ears. He pulled me into the shadows of the nearby stairwell and pulled me close, smiling lightly. He bent his head close to mind and spoke softly, but it was like he was speaking through a megaphone; I could hear every word, every vowel so clearly. He was so close I could feel his warm breath on my forehead. "So," he whispered, "Would you like to tell me who this 'he' is that you went out with yesterday?"

My cheeks were already on fire, but the very mention of Arsenio made my cheeks flame that much more. "He's the son of a family friend," I whispered, "He asked me out the day before last, and I agreed. We went out yesterday, but it was a disaster." _Why am I telling him this?_ But I couldn't stop; it was like my mouth had a mind of its own. "The last thing he said to me was that he never wanted to see me again because I broke up with him right after the movie."

"Oh? Is that so? Then might I presume that he is no competition to me?" I felt a small pressure on my forehead and my cheeks turned even brighter of a red, even more so when he didn't take his lips away.

"Yeah," I said with a breathy voice, "You can."

"Then can I have the pleasure of taking you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

My heart practically stopped beating with those words. He was asking me out. Me. Elena Sky. Daniel Centanio, the golden boy of the school, was asking me out. Either the world was very, very cruel and this was some sick joke, or I was dreaming, because there was no way in hell this could be real.

As if he sensed my thoughts, he laughed out loud, "Breathe, Elena, breathe. No, you're not dreaming and no this is not some sick joke. I really want to take you out tomorrow. Say yes, please?"

I looked up into his face, ignoring the fact that he seemed to have answered the very words I had been thinking. Then, I said the dumbest thing ever, "Why do you want me?" _Stupid, stupid, Elena._

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking amused as I tried to hide my face. He laughed out right and tilted my chin up, making me look at him. "Don't be embarrassed," he said huskily, "You have a right to ask that, especially since I've never really paid any attention to you. The truth is, I've always watched you from afar, I just pretended not to notice you. The passion that you do everything with, it just drives me crazy. Do you understand? I want you because you are you."

Man, this guy really knew how to drive a girl crazy, didn't he? I swear my heart was pounding so heart he could hear it; that was how loud it was. If I placed my hand over my heart I probably wouldn't even by able to feel my heartbeat with how fast it was going.

"So is that a yes?" he asked, "Will you go out with me?"

My lips didn't even hesitate to form the words, "Yes."

He smiled brilliantly at me and placed a small peck on my forehead, "I gotta head to class now. Talk to you later?"

I only had time to give a dazed, "Sure," before he was speeding away, smiling hugely. I wasn't even aware of it as I walked back towards my classroom and to my seat. I was still out of it even when Chloe hissed for details in my ear. With stumbling words, and a dreamy tone, I told her what had transpired between Daniel and I.

Even when she was throwing notes on my desk and giving off small whoops, I was still unaware of what was happening. Everything happened so fast; it was all so sudden that my system just seemed to shut down on itself. I knew though, that when I could process what was going on, I'd be jumping up and down in ecstasy.

But now, I suddenly found myself thinking about Arsenio and Daniel together, comparing them, seeing which of the two was better for me. There was Arsenio, the mysterious man that seemed to speak to my soul, and seemed to try and get rid of me, and there was Daniel, the golden boy that openly admitted his feelings for me, enough to risk being late to class.

Why were guys suddenly hounding me all of a sudden? And why did they have to both be guys that caught my interest? If they had to be guys, why couldn't they at least be like, someone really boring and someone really cool that I liked? Why did it have to be two guys that both intrigued me? Sure, I'd had a crush on Daniel for a really long time, but with Arsenio in the picture, it was harder to decide, especially since he seemed to be trying to make me hate him.

Why did he do that? And what was he about to call me? A- something? I didn't buy the excuse that he had put up the manly side just to attract me, not for one second; a guy that looked like that did not, in any way, seem like the feminine type. So what was he? What was his game? Why did he want me to hate him?

But most importantly, what the hell is going on?


	4. Indecisive Heart

Chapter 4: Indecisive Heart

All through the rest of the day, Daniel somehow managed to find me everywhere in the hallways. Whenever I stepped out of the classroom, there he was, wearing a cute smile and ready to walk with me to whatever class I had next before he went to his own. He even sat with my friends and I at lunch, which made practically everyone in the school look at our group in absolute shock.

At the end of the day, he stood with me at my locker, holding my bag. "I'm sorry about this, you know," he said quietly.

I looked at him startled, "What is there to be sorry for? You've done nothing wrong."

He waved his hands at the staring students, "This, I'm sorry about this. I know you aren't used to so much attention, and I've only brought it on you by clinging to you all of today."

I blushed a light pink color, "It's fine; I don't mind at all."

"How about your friends?"

I glanced at Chloe and Nicole, who were flirting with a set of Daniels' friends, "I think they're good."

"Are you sure?"

I smiled lightly as I took my bag from him, "Yeah, definitely." Even though I said that, there was a part of me, a small part to be clear, that wished he would go away so I would have time to figure out what was up with Arsenio. There was something up with him, that I knew for sure, but damn me, I didn't know what it was! No matter how much I thought about it, the only conclusion I could come up with was that I reminded him of his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him, and that made no sense to me; since it was probably obvious we were different people. Even so, no matter what it was, I was determined to find out what it was.

Daniel didn't walk me home that day, something that I was half grateful, half disappointed. Him leaving meant I could go find out where Arsenio had gone, but it also meant that Daniel was leaving me. It didn't matter how much I thought about it; I could not decide whether I was more sad or happy that he had left me.

When I got home, the first thing I knew was that something was baking. For a moment, my heart leapt, 'Arsenio!' I dropped my bag and my coat and pretty much ran into the kitchen, my face alight with hope.

When I got to the kitchen, my face fell, along with my hopes, which I found weird. "Oh, welcome home honey," my mom smiled at me, lifting a tray of brownies from the oven. "I just finished your favorite brownies; come have some."

She must've seen my stricken expression, because she put down the brownies on the stove and moved towards me with a concerned expression, "Honey, are you okay? Did something happen at school?"

I shook my head rapidly, "No, no, school is fine. It's just…" I hesitated then: should I tell her that Arsenio had only left so early because I had hurt him? Or should I just pretend that it was nothing? I decided on the latter, "It's just, I'm a bit tired, and I was hoping to get to know Arsenio a bit better before he left."

"Well, he and his father are just living about 20 minutes away; how about we pay them a visit later?"

My head snapped up at that, "They live that close?" I blurted, "Why haven't we gone already then?"

She looked startled at my excitement, "I thought you didn't want to see Arsenio; I didn't hear such good sounds from either of your rooms last night."

I waved a hand impatiently, "That was nothing," I lied, "When can we get going?"

"Not now, maybe tomorrow," she said as she piled the brownies onto a plate, "You have homework to do, and you told me you and Nicole were doing a project together today."

I cursed quietly in my head amidst wondering if I would even be able to stand that long wondering what the hell was going up with Arsenio. Sadly, I didn't have a choice. I let my shoulders sag in defeat and waved a hand, "Right, I totally forgot about that."

She shot me a concerned look as I stole a brownie from the plate she had placed them on before I retreated to my room. For the rest of the night, even as I was working with Nicole on our project, I thought about Arsenio. Like I had before, I kept tossing thoughts around in my mind, kept throwing around the questions I could not answer without his help. What would I say to him when I saw him tomorrow? What would he say? Would he be mad? Would he hate me? Would he scream at me to get out and never come back? That seemed likely; he'd already done it once after all.

The next day, I was still thinking about it even as my mom drove me to school. As we got to the main entrance, she stopped and said, "Elena, wait a moment."

I glanced at her warily out of the corner of my eye, "What is it?"

"What's going on with you lately? You didn't seem like yourself yesterday, as well as today. I want to help you, honey. Are you having boy trouble?"

If that doesn't say awkward, I don't know what does. I waved it off, pretending I was fine, "I'm fine mom, really; I'm just thinking about something, and I didn't get much sleep last night."

Giving her one last smile, I opened the car door and hopped out; slamming the door shut on anything else she might have had to say. Without a look back, I walked into the school, humming a little tune. A set of arms enveloped me at the door, and a quiet whispered, "Morning, beautiful."

My heart almost came to a stand-still at Daniel's forwardness, then, I blushed a deep shade of crimson and gave him a hug, "Hey yourself."

He released me and stepped back, wearing a heart-stopping smile, "I can't wait for tonight," he said huskily, "I was planning it all night." He blushed when he realized what he said and ducked his head, "Sorry, that makes me sound like an over-possessive jerk, doesn't it?"

I had no idea, no frickin' idea, what to say. What the hell was a girl suppose to do when the boy she had been crushing on **forever** admitted that he had spent the entire night trying to make your first date absolutely perfect? Hell, it was enough to make any girl's heart stop, as it almost did for mine. "N-no," I stuttered, "It's totally fine; I'm just flattered you would spend so much time thinking about it at all."

He smiled shyly at me, "Of course I would; a girl as beautiful as you deserves special attention." Whoa, dude was laying it a bit thick today, wasn't he? Even so, I can't exactly say I had many problems with it.

He walked me to class and all around the school that day, just as he had the last. His attention brought the attention of the entire school, just as it had yesterday, and he sweet-talked me all day, just like yesterday. In all likeness, it was the exact same as yesterday, except today, he did not ask me out.

Like yesterday, the moment he was around, all thoughts of Arsenio were dashed from my mind the moment he was near me. I tried to pretend that it was simply because I was so into him, but I had a gut feeling, something deep in my mind, that knew that this was wrong. And no matter how many arguments I threw at it, it refused to go away. The most I could do was ignore it for now and bask in the attention he shone on me and enjoy it while it was here.

That day, at the end of the day, he walked me to the main door and gave me a kiss on the cheek, as I was about to leave. "I'll come pick you up at 6 sharp," he smiled, his eyes shining brightly, "I'd greatly prefer not leaving your side at all, but I'm afraid I have some arrangements to make, so I'll see you later." He smiled once more at me before turning away to find some of his friends.

I watched his retreating back, my breathing not at all normal, and then, the thought of Arsenio slammed into my mind, almost knocking me over. I'd completely forgotten about him over the course today, but now I remembered what I had been planning all of last night. Today, I would see him, and I would find out what he was hiding from me. Hopefully. No such luck.

When I got home, I all but forced my mom out of the house and over to Arsenio's new place. When we got there, he answered the door, and narrowed his eyes at me, looking not at all friendly, but very, very manly. He invited us into his house cautiously, his eyes purposely avoiding my own. I went through all the proper niceties with his father, complimenting his new house, before turning to Arsenio and asking for a private word. The look on his face told me he very much wanted to say no, very much wanted to tell me he was busy, but something on his face held him back, would not let him deny me, and I played on that, saying that I needed help with something. At last, he agreed, and led me into the living room, away from the kitchen where our parents were.

When we got there, I turned on him, planting my hands on my hips. He raised an eyebrow at me, a silent challenge in his eyes. They dared me to ask him what was going on, to ask him why he had acted like a little girl. I knew he would have an answer for me, truthful or not, so I stepped into the bait.

I raised my chin and looked him in the eye, my eyes burning with anger, "Tell me why."

"Why what?" he mocked, "I thought the princess knew everything."

I was taken back by his answer; why was he doing this? Why was he so mad at me? "Why did you hide your personality?" I demanded, "Why did you show me this girly side when it is clearly not at all who you are?"

"And why, pray tell, should I answer you?" he snapped.

"If not that, then at least tell me what it is that I have done to deserve your anger." What the heck was up with my wording? I sounded like something from 1800' or something.

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated, but why, I still did not know. Turning away, he did not speak for some time. "I'm not angry at you," he said at last. He said that, and nothing more.

"Then why, good sir, do you use such a smoldering tone in my presence?"

It was clear my choice of wording was confusing him as much as it was me. His eyes met mine once more the challenge back in his eyes, "You broke up with me," he said, the mocking tone back in his voice, "I do believe I have the right to be upset with you."

"And that brings me back to my original question: why did you show me someone you clearly are not? Why do you hide who you are from me? What have I ever done to wrong you?"

He lifted his head in pride, "I have no need to explain to you, my lady."

I took a dangerous step towards him, "I believe you do, sir. I believe you have a lot to explain to me, because I deserve not to be lied to and made a mockery of, so I demand you answer my question now, or I will be forced to take drastic measures." I wasn't sure I was saying what I was; it was all just spewing out of my mouth on its own, under no direction from me.

I felt a presence at the edge of my mind, something old and powerful, something that wanted the past righted. I did not fear it, oddly enough. Instead, I welcomed it, and brought its power to me. It wasn't until later that I could even remember what had happened.

I heard Arsenio speak, as if from far away, but it was no longer me he spoke to, but a person that occupied my body. "And exactly what would be those drastic measures?"

The me and not me, opened my mouth, and a single word came out, "Emile."

Arsenio froze at that name and looked at me in horror. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Then, he whispered, "How?"

The not me tossed my hair over my shoulder, giving him an imperious look, "Did you think I would not come back, Emile?"

"What are you doing here, Alana?" he demanded, "Why are you inhabiting this girl's body?" Inhabiting my body?

The not me, Alana, smiled a devious smile at him, obviously enjoying his discomfort, "This girl is attached to me, in a way you would not believe possible, and now, I believe you owe this girl some explanations, and me as well."

Okay, I had it; I wanted my body back. I tugged at my body, trying to take it back, but she was strong! She went away willingly, and I opened my eyes, to find Arsenio staring at me with an expression full of, what was that…? Longing? My body felt so heavy, and I was so tired for some reason. The last thing I saw was his face before the darkness consumed me.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on a bed with a soft quilt tucked around me. I sat up and looked around, and met Arsenio's brown eyes. I blushed a deep shade of red, and still his intense gaze did not leave me. I gulped and managed a weak smile, "Did you know it's very weird waking up and seeing a guy staring at you without looking away even once?"

He still didn't look away, "What do you remember?" he asked harshly instead.

I blinked at him in confusion, and then considered his question. What did I remember? I remembered coming to find him, and talking to him about why he was acting the way he was, but beyond that I did not know. The last thing I remembered was fainting. I related all of this to him, and he nodded, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Is there something I should know?" I asked hesitantly.

He shook his head, "It's nothing, forget it."

"Then are you going to answer my earlier question? Why did you act like a girl around me?"

He looked distracted, and perhaps that was the reason he gave me an answer at all. "I want you to stay away from me; that was why I did it. I want you to stay the hell away from me, because if you get close, bad things will happen to you."

That wasn't the answer I had been expecting, "What? Why? Why are bad things going to happen to me?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "I can't explain that, not now, but I need you to trust my judgment, Elena; I'm doing this for your sake, not my own." His eyes closed off at the next part, "Besides, I just don't feel that way about you. Not now, not ever."

I knew it was a lie, it was so obvious, but that didn't make it sting any less. My treacherous eyes felt like welling up with tears, and I resisted the urge to flee from the room lest I embarrass myself further. So, I played it off like it didn't matter to me, "That's totally cool. Just glad to know how you really feel."

The look in his eyes, that he tried to hide made it clear to me that it was absolutely tearing him apart to have said that, but he had no right to feel like that when it was me he had intended to hurt. I stood and turned to leave, but remembered one last thing, "One more thing: what was that you were going to call me before? A- something?"

He didn't raise his head, nor did he move. I almost thought he wouldn't answer, so I excused myself and turned to leave. I had just opened the door and stepped out into the hallway when I heard his voice saying one word. "Alana."

I closed the door behind myself and begged my mom to leave. When we got home, I had about 2 hours before I had to get ready to go out with Daniel, but I just laid in bed and thought. My head told me that Daniel was the better choice, always had been, since I had been crushing on him for so long, but my heart, my indecisive heart, had to disagree.


	5. Prince Charming

Chapter 5: Prince Charming

Finally, I roused myself up enough to go and get dressed for my date. The day before, Nicole had helped me plan out everything about my outfit, hair and makeup, and she had not left until she was certain I could do a good job of them all. That was what I set out to do now.

It didn't take me that long to get ready, since my outfit was pretty simple. We'd decided that I should just wear a tank top, black, over-set with a white cardigan, skinny jeans and knee-high leather boots. I put diamond studs into my ears, and then straightened my hair, making sure every single strand was silky, falling delicately on my narrow shoulders. As for makeup, that was simple: just a thin coat of lip gloss and a bit of mascara - enough to make it look natural but still pretty- to top it all off. When I was done, I gave myself a quick once-over, glad of how mature and beautiful I looked.

Right at 6:00 exactly, the doorbell rang. My heart skipped a beat as I hurried downstairs to the main door. I opened the door, my heart pounding in my chest, and was met by a handful of lilies. My mouth fell open in shock as I reached forward and plucked out a card from the middle of the flowers. It was decorated with a simple heart on the front with the words 'You are my star' under it. I opened it and read aloud, "You are my star that fills the night of my life with eternal light." In that moment, I thought my heart would just burst out of my chest with the force it was pounding at.

Daniel also chose that moment to poke his head right out of the middle of the flowers. I blinked at him in surprise for a moment, and then started laughing my head off. When I managed to gain back even a bit of my breath, I gave him a huge smile, "This is amazing!" I cried, "This is perfect!"

He blushed deeply, "You like it?"

I kissed his cheek lightly, "Answer your question?" His blush told me it did.

"It did, but I'd kind of like another answer."

I took the lilies from his hand, "I'll give you another answer later, Casanova, I can promise you that for sure."

That sentence by itself probably made us both blush deeply, but since I was turning away from him, I couldn't see his face and he couldn't see mine. Quickly, I sought out a vase for the flowers. When I finished, I turned to inspect him, my eyes sweeping briefly over his navy button up and jeans. I smiled lightly at him, "Looking good, Prince Charming."

"'Prince Charming'? I like it," he grinned, the tension broken. He held out his arm to me, "Shall we?"

I smiled, looking into his eyes, before placing my hand gingerly in the crook of his elbow, "Let's."

Together, we walked out of the house and over to… the taxi? Whoa, dude was earning a lot of points very, very quickly. He opened the door for me and waved me in, smiling, "After you, my lady."

I slipped into the taxi and he got in after me, settling down as he told the driver the name of the restaurant we were going to. Oddly, considering how long I'd lived here, I didn't know where he was talking about. I rode in silence, Daniel content not to say anything until we got there.

When we got there, I knew instantly why I didn't know the name of the restaurant: it was a frickin' hotel. My mouth fell open in complete shock, and I held that pose for…how long? At least two minutes. I just stared up at it, speechless.

Daniel gave me a concerned look, "Elena? You alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I stuttered, "What are we doing here, Daniel?"

He blushed deeply again, "It's our first date; I thought I'd take you somewhere nice."

"This is just…amazing. I don't know what to say," I whispered.

"How 'bout saying that this date won't be our last?" he smiled.

All I could do was nod as he led me in. The inside looked as magnificent on the inside as it did on the outside, which was saying something, considering the hotel was in the shape of a half-donut with a fountain in the middle. The fountain had a sculpture of two leaping dolphins in the middle, made completely of glass. There were trees, evergreens, everywhere, and a garden of flowers around the fountain. It was so beautiful. The inside, had huge chandeliers all over the place, so it made look like there were crystals shining everywhere. The table clothes were linen, so white it almost hurt to look at it, and the waiters all wore suits, wait, not suits, tuxes. Hell, this place was high class. "This place looks so expensive," I whimpered, wondering how he was going to pay for it all.

He smiled at me like he knew what I was thinking, "It should be; it's a five star restaurant."

I swear my heart just stopped then. "Five. Star. Restaurant." Hell, this boy was putting a lot on this one date. It was times like these when I wish I had more than one set of eyes, so I could see more at once and not give myself a headache trying to look at everything at once.

Daniel exchanged a few words with the closest waiter, and he led us to our table, putting down menus on the table before leaving. Daniel held out my chair for me as I sat down before sitting down in my own chair. Suddenly, I was very much aware of how poorly I had dressed. Everyone in the restaurant was dressed formally, whether in a dress or tux, with Daniel's standard as the lowest. I blushed deeply, wishing I had just gone with the sky blue halter dress Nicole had picked out for me.

As if he knew my thoughts, Daniel smiled at me, "You look wonderful, Elena."

"Everyone here is dressed so formally," I said, eyeing a woman in a strapless, blood-red dress and her companion in a tuxedo. "I feel out of place, and very, very young."

"You are young," he shrugged, "And much more beautiful then any of them."

I raised an eyebrow at him, smirking, "Laying it a bit thick, aren't we?"

He blushed lightly, "My dad told me gentlemen always compliment their fair ladies."

I just let out a laugh at that, "Come on, Daniel," I teased, "As much as I like your flattering, your real personality appeals to me much more."

He raised an eyebrow, instantly going back to his semi-arrogant nature, "Is that so? Then perhaps I should stick with that if that is what my lady prefers." If it were ever possible to sound arrogant and humble at the same time, this would be the perfect example.

He picked up his menu, and we inspected the dishes in silence for a few moments, trying to decide what to order. Everything on the list sounded so appetizing, so delicious that I had a hell of a hard time deciding what I wanted. Finally, I settled on something simple: steak. No one can ever go wrong with steak.

Daniel looked up at me and smiled, "What do you want to eat?"

I pointed at the picture of the steak, feeling foolishly out-classed, "That."

He grinned, nodding, "Good choice."

He hailed a waiter and told him our orders, gaining himself a few more points by ordering for me. Then, we sat back and just relaxed. "How am I doing so far?" he asked suddenly.

"Hm?"

He waved his hand around lazily, "With all of this; how am I doing? Is this enough to get me a second date?"

I blushed deeply and looked anywhere but at him, "By far. This place is amazing; everything you've done tonight has been amazing. I can't thank you enough for all of this."

He gave me a wide grin, "I'm glad to hear that; I've wanted to ask you out for a long time."

"You have?"

"Definitely. I've always noticed you, but I didn't say anything because I didn't know what to say."

"Then why now?"

"Because I finally convinced myself by telling myself that if I didn't ask you out soon, someone else would and I would lose my chance, and I am a sore loser; ask anyone."

I smiled, it was endearing that he was so honest; I found it very attractive in a man. That, combined with his looks, made him a very popular man. The fact that he had chosen me, above all the beauties in the school, almost succeeded in making my heart stop.

The steaks came not long later, and we talked as we ate. We talked about school, we talked about the clubs we were in, what activities we did outside school, and our friends. We talked about subjects that were familiar to the other. We never ran out of things to talk about for the entire two hours we were out. Like a gentleman, he paid the bill, even though I insisted of paying a portion of it. As the facts went, he was almost insulted when I offered to pay some. When I'd asked why, he told me that men always have to pay the bill on the dates, because if the girl pays, it meant it wasn't a good date. When I heard that, I apologized quickly, telling him that wasn't what I meant, when inside, I was wondering what was wrong with his dad. I mean, who thinks like that? This was the 21st century for Christ's sake! Men and women were suppose to be equal, even though Winsey constantly reminds me that men and women can't be equal; men will always be superior to women in every aspect except intellect. I knew she was right, but seriously; who still thought like that?

We talked even as he got a taxi to drive us home. We agreed on many things, but for the things we didn't agree on, we argued playfully, each of us trying to prove our point to the other. At the end of each argument, we just agreed to disagree. It was fun, it was relaxing, and it was peaceful. I felt more at peace with him than I had with anyone for days, especially with all the Arsenio drama.

The moment I thought that thought about Arsenio, it disappeared in my mind, leaving me dumbfounded. What the hell? I tried my hardest to think about him, I really did, but the thoughts just kept slipping from my mind like water from your hand. It was disconcerting how I couldn't even control my thoughts like that, but again I convinced myself it was because I was so into Daniel. I should really stop trusting everyone. Winsey would tell me that I was an idiot for not questioning the weirdness of it. Sometimes I agree.

It didn't matter at that moment though. Daniel dropped me off at my house, giving me a kiss on the cheek and a promise to see me tomorrow. The taxi stayed as I walked up to my house, and on a whim, I turned and blew a kiss to Daniel. He laughed and pretended to catch it, holding it to his heart. "Good night, my lady!" he called, smiling.

"Good night, prince charming," I returned, smiling brightly.

"Until tomorrow's fair morn, may I see you once more!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air and spinning around.

His antics made me double over laughing, holding my stomach, "Go on, Casanova; your sleep awaits!"

He winked at me once more before getting into the taxi and driving off. I walked into the house in a somewhat dazed state. The only thing I remembered the next morning was saying a dreamy good night to my parents before heading up to my room. I remembered thinking about Daniel, replaying every single moment of our date a hundred times. I replayed the kiss he had given me a million times more. I squealed to myself, ignored the calls and texts on my phone, imagining what he would do, where this would take us.

The next morning, I woke up with barely any sleep, because I'd spent half the night creating little fantasies about Daniel and I. When I fell asleep, I'd been so happy, so peaceful; it'd been the best night of sleep I'd had in a long time. I went downstairs in the same dreamy state I'd been when I'd gone up, said 'good morning' to my parents, ate breakfast, and gone to school, all in that same, half awake state. I just couldn't stop thinking about Daniel. A small part of my brain, the Winsey-part, I called it, because Winsey was probably my one rational friend, told me this was wrong, and I should be wary, but I was thinking too much of Daniel to care. Stupid mistake number two. Actually, I don't know how many that is; looking back, I can see that I've done many, many stupid things.

Daniel met me at the main entrance with a kiss on the cheek. Then he took hold of my bag and walked me into the school, holding my hand, and ignoring everybody that looked at us oddly. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just followed his lead and ignored everyone, content to just be with him. I knew I should have looked further into the situation, should have done more to assess it, but I was in no mood to; I just wanted to enjoy the attention of being with him. He walked me to my locker and turned away as I opened it, giving me my privacy. He did everything I asked without question, looking as if me talking to him was a blessing. It was so cute, so romantic it made me blush uncontrollably for almost ten minutes.

He walked me to class and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before sauntering to his own, promising to see me later. The moment I got in there, Nicole, Chloe, Emma, and a bunch of our other friends attacked me. They pressed me for details, begged me to tell them what had happened, but Chloe shooed them all away, being the great friend that she was.

She got them all to settle down, then set me down in a chair, everyone else scrambling to get a chair close to mine. "So, where'd you go?" Chloe asked me as soon as everyone was settled.

"He took me to a five star restaurant," I said, dazed.

They all looked at me with open mouths, "Are you serious?"

"Totally."

"How'd he pay for it? Or did you both pay?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, you know what, just tell us everything." So I did. I told them about how he had picked me up in a taxi with the bouquet of white lilies, the card, everything. I told them how he had ordered for me, acted like a perfect gentleman throughout the date, and how he had ended it all off. I told them how endearing he had acted, how romantic. They 'awed' in all the right places, swooned during the particularly cute parts, and by the end they were all cheering.

"You are so lucky he's into you," Nicole said, jealous.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm never saying sorry for it," I smiled. At that moment it was true. Everything I said was true; I hadn't embellished even a bit of it. I loved the fact that he was paying so much attention to me, and I was flattered beyond belief that he would ask me out over all the other beauties in the school. I was happy, so happy I had no words to describe it. It was like warmth in my chest; very, very comforting warmth that I never wanted to be rid of.

Then, a cold thought pierced through all my daydreams as I sat through class, ignoring the teachers lecture, _"What would Arsenio think?"_


	6. Let's be Friends

Hey guys, sorry for the late updates; I haven't been able to think of a decent plot line until recently. Thanks so much to everyone who's given me a review and read my story; I really hope it's satisfactory. If you guys have any suggestions, anything you want me to add to it, or ideas for future stories, send me a private message and I swear I will message you back as soon as I get it. Thanks so much!

Chapter 6: Let's Be Friends

I spent the entire day dazed out of my mind. I remembered that most of the day was just Nicole, Chloe, Emma, Annie, all of my friends just hounding me for details about the date. In my dazed state, I ignored them all and just thought about Daniel all day. I'd booted the cold thought about Arsenio out of my mind, despite knowing that I would have to think about it some time. For the time being, I just wanted to enjoy having Daniel to myself; bad times would come later.

Daniel found me at break. "Hey beautiful," he said, leaning against the locker next to mine. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him. His hands were in his pocket, and he had a lazy smile on his face. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek, letting his lips linger on my skin. By the time he pulled away, I was beet red.

"Hey yourself," I whispered. My heart was beating so hard it was hard to hear myself over the thumping of it. And if it was hard to hear myself, imagine how hard it was hear **him**!

He laughed and pulled me into a hug, "What are you so embarrassed about?" he whispered in my ear.

"I'm not embarrassed, I'm just…" I glanced around at all the students looking at his public display of affection and blushed even more.

He smiled a knowing smile at me, probably knowing what I was thinking. I was jealous of him in that moment; he had so long to get used to all the attention, but I'd only had a few days. "It's alright; you'll get used to it. I plan on being with you for a long time if it's my choice to make, so you'll have plenty of time to get accustomed to it." He bent close again and whispered in my ear, "But if it were my choice, I'd rather you not; your blush is so cute."

I blushed even harder and he grinned, "Yes, exactly like that."

Daniel was so good to me. He took my books and carried them to my next class for me, holding my hand with his free hand. He smiled at everyone, tossing greetings here and there. I felt so nervous standing next to him like that; what if I wasn't pretty enough? What if my hair was messed up? What if I stunk from P.E? All those thoughts badgered me non-stop as he walked with me.

When we got to my next class, he gave me my books to put down, but told me to come back out, saying he had something for me. I took my books and came back out, curious as to what he had for me. He took my hand and led me to the hidden stairwell where he'd asked me out. I looked and him curiously, but he just held me close to himself.

"You don't have to worry about what other people think," he breathed, "I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to change because you think you're not good enough for me. The truth is that I'm not good enough for you; you're an angel to me already, and that's all that should matter. I don't want you to change, Elena, not for me, not for anyone else; only for yourself. I…I love the way you are now, and I would still love you if you changed, but the way you are now, it's perfect to me."

My heart stopped beating for a second, I swear it did. First and foremost, I was so touched that he would even tell me that. He told me I never had to change, for him or for anybody else, because I was me and no one could tell me what to do unless I allowed it. Secondly, did he say he loved me? I swear I heard it. My heart fluttered at the very thought, and I blushed deeply again. Thirdly, how did he know I was even thinking that?

"You looked so nervous on the way here," he whispered in my ear, his arms pulling tighter around me. "I want you to be feel comfortable around me; I wish I could protect you from everything, but I know I can't. I wish you had no burdens ever, but I also know I can't do that. Please, Elena, just relax."

I studied him, puzzled. How the hell did he know what I was thinking? But I pushed the thought away; the timing was not right to think about it. I leaned into him again, "It's just hard," I confessed, "I've never had this much attention, and it's intimidating."

He wrapped his arms even tighter around me, "I'd say I understand, but I know I don't. I want to do things for you, but I don't know what to do!" He seemed so frustrated, so upset that he couldn't do anything for me.

I was touched that he would feel this deeply about me, especially after so little time together. "Daniel," I whispered softly, "Don't feel bad; it's not something we can stop. I'll learn to deal with it; just stop worrying."

He sighed and kissed the top of my head lightly, "I can't help it; what guy wouldn't be worried about the girl he loves?"

I looked at him again, my heart stopping, "The girl he loves?" I repeated slowly. If my cheeks didn't calm down soon, I would stay blushing forever; I just know it!

He blushed in return, "I'm sorry, am I being too forward?"

I shook my head rapidly, "No, I'm just, kind of surprised; we haven't been going out that long."

He blushed even more and pulled me closer, "I thought I already told you? I've been watching you for a long time, Elena; I knew I was in love with you the very moment I saw you. Love at first sight. Cliché, isn't it?"

If this boy kept talking like this, I was going to die from lack of oxygen in my body. He was being so romantic and so humble about it at the same time; it was hard to resist kissing him. So, I didn't resist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up.

He seemed to understand where I was going, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned down, and I leaned up. We met up in the middle, our lips brushing each other's slightly.

Warmth spread throughout my veins, and it made me want him, need him all the more. Maybe he felt the same, because he pressed into me, holding me closely and kissing me harder. We pulled away at the same time to breathe and just looked at each other, panting.

He spoke first, and he said something that made me blush harder than ever, "You taste like sweet mints. They're yummy, do you mind if I taste them again?" He pulled me closer, leaning in.

I let him kiss me again, this time as sweet as the last. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest, almost bursting with the happiness. We kissed a bit more, until the first bell rang, pulling us apart. "That was intense," I whispered, touching a finger to my lips.

He smiled and placed a finger and his own, "I know it was. It was better than I ever imagined it would be." That guy took a very sick pleasure in making me blush, didn't he?

"We should head to class," I whispered, pulling away gently, "You don't want to ruin your perfect attendance record do you?"

He smiled and reached for my hand, "I would break it any day for you. And yes, I do take pleasure in making you blush; it's cute."

I groaned, laughing. "You are pure evil, Daniel, I swear you are."

His eyes seemed to darken a bit, but his smile stayed firmly in place, "Being called evil in my family is a major insult," he teased.

I covered my mouth, "I'm sorry!"

He shrugged, and gave me a hug outside my classroom, "It's fine. I'll see you later, beautiful." He gave me one last kiss on the cheek before heading off to class.

I spent the rest of the day in a complete daze, replaying the scene over and over again in my head. Every time I inspected it, I wondered how he had known what I was thinking, and every time I pushed the thought from my mind, thinking I had just shown my emotions too much on my face. There was a part of me that knew it didn't make sense, because I had been blushing too much, and he hadn't even been looking at me when we were walking to class. However, the greater part of my brain didn't particularly care, and was still squealing inside from what he had said.

That day after school, I managed to evade everyone. I wanted to just go home and crash for a while, take some more time daydreaming about Daniel. But nope, things refused to go my way. When I got home, I walked right into my room without saying a single word and just looking right at my room. I ignored everybody and everyone, dazed as I was.

I just fell onto my bed and lay there for a while, not feeling like doing anything else. My eyes were open, but they saw nothing.

"Do you plan on just lying there for my entire visit?" a deep voice asked, interrupting my fantasies.

I sat up so fast I almost hurt my back, looking wide-eyed at Arsenio, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He shrugged, leaning against my doorway, his hands in his pockets. "I need to talk to you."

I gazed at him warily, trying as hard as I could to ignore his looks. It was hard though; the way he held himself, the confidence in his stance was so alluring. I promise you, if Winsey saw him, she would probably jump him first thing. Well, she wouldn't; she was too poised for that. Or maybe she would… she seemed to have changed a lot since we got to high school…

I shook the thought from my mind and sighed. Patting the spot next to me, I scooted over so he could sit. "What are you doing here?" I asked again.

"I need to talk to you about yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"Do you remember what happened when you came to my house?"

As fast as I could, I swept through my memories of the previous day, ignoring the ones of Daniel and concentrating on Arsenio. "I went to your house to ask you why you were behaving like a girl. We were arguing, and then… I think I blacked out, because the next thing I remember, you were standing over me concerned. You asked me the same question as today: what I remembered. I told you, and then you told me the reason you were acting girly, and told me to stay away from you. You told me bad things were going to happen to me if I stayed close to you, and then you told me you didn't feel that way about me. After that, I asked you what you were calling me A-something, and you told me Alana. After that I left."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "That's what I thought. Listen, Elena, there are some things you don't remember, some big things. I can't tell you right now what they are, partly because you wouldn't believe me and partly because I don't even know how to tell you. I will tell you eventually, please trust me on that. I…I was lying, when I said I didn't feel that way about you. I said that because I knew that despite what you say, what you do, you still have some lingering affection for me. I've done all that I can to push you away, but I can't anymore. There's something going on here, I don't know what it is, but I want to protect you from it. I need to stay close to you now; I can't ignore you anymore. Also-."

"Now wait right there," I snapped. "There is no I'm-going-to-do-this, because you're not doing anything unless I allow it, understand? You tried pushing me away, and now you're coming back just for no reason? I think I deserve an explanation, whether you want to give it or not. I deserve to know what's going on, Arsenio."

"You will have your explanation," he snarled, "but you need to be patient! Please, Elena! I know I've done a lot of things wrong, and I know I was wrong to play you like that, and I am so, so sorry about that. If you don't mind, I'd really like to be friends. I want to be near you, I want to protect you, but only if you let me. Can we give it a shot? Please?"

"Why did you try to avoid me at all, Arsenio?" I whispered.

He swept a hand through his hair again, "I told you: I'm a bad person; you don't want to mess with me. It just isn't smart. I tried to stay away to protect you, but, well, you can see how that turned out." He shrugged lightly, then stood, stretching.

"Please, consider my offer; I'd really like to be friends if you don't mind. Also, I don't like rushing you, trust me, I don't, but I really need you to hurry up and decide, or you might get into some trouble, and I won't be there to protect you."

His words were sweet, and his tone was sexy. I looked in his eyes right before he turned away, and I saw such a strong emotion there. It wasn't possession, it wasn't protectiveness; it was something soft, something sweet. He waited for a second, but when I didn't say anything, he turned to leave

Then, "Yes." He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "Yes," I repeated, "I'd really like that."

He turned to face me, a weird hope in his eyes, "You mean it?"

I shrugged, "As long as you agree to stop lying to me and to tell me what's really going on, then yeah, definitely."

He smiled brilliantly at me, showing off his perfect white teeth. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at him, he was so damn handsome. I mean like, drop-dead handsome. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to run my hands through his hair and kiss his full lips. I wanted it so much I almost stood up and walked towards him.

He must have noticed my motion, because he looked amused, "Would you like to share?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my blush, "Not really, man."

"Come on, tell me, in honor of our new-found friendship," he teased, smiling brilliantly.

I laughed, "No! Arsenio, come on!"

"How about I take a guess then? If I get it right, you have to tell me, okay?"

I hesitated, and then nodded, "Fine."

"Were you thinking that you really wanted to kiss me?"

My eyebrows shot right up, "Either I'm very unlucky, or you are psychic."

He made shadows with his hands, "Wooh! I'm a ghost! I can read your mind!"

I laughed at his stupid imitation, thinking about how nice it was to share this with him. He was being a lot better than he was before. That is, until I heard what he said next.

"So, would you like to tell me why you were thinking about kissing me?"

I blushed deeply and ducked my head, "Dude, you have no idea how sexy you look when you smile at me like that. I'm not kidding; it drives me half mad with need." Why am I saying this? Why am I talking?

He laughed. It was a rich sound, like silk on my skin. It caressed me; it made me want things not even Daniel had produced within me. I shivered with need and tried to fight it off. _"You have a boyfriend damn it! Don't be a slut!"_ "That's quite flattering, Elena; I'm touched. And I believe you know as well as I do that I am going to hold this over you for a very long time."

I let out a groan, "I should stop making promises; they never turn out well for me."

He smiled once more at me, and then looked at his watched, "We've been talking for a long time; it's time to go home, or Dad will be worried. We'll talk later, okay? I think I still have your number."

I blushed again, wondering why he'd kept it when he'd wanted me away from him so badly just a while ago. "Sure; I look forward to it."

He smiled, "We have a lot to talk about Elena."

I nodded my agreement, thinking about Alana, whoever she was. "Yeah, we do. See you later, Arsenio."

"Same to you." He moved towards the door, and paused just before he went out. "For the record, I really am glad you decided to accept my offer." Arsenio gave me one more smile before leaving.

The moment he was gone, I sighed happily and fell onto my bed. It'd been a good day today, and I was so glad. Arsenio was finally starting to make sense, kind of, and Daniel was being as perfect as he ever was. Life was starting to look good for me. Hell, I should have known it wouldn't last long. If this were a story, I'd be the heroine, and for the heroine, peace never lasts nearly long enough before they get dragged into trouble again. I wasn't sure what the trouble would be this time, but I had a feeling it would take place in the form on Arsenio Rivera.


	7. Perfect For Now

**Hey guys!**

**First and foremost, I am so sorry for taking so long with this; I just wasn't really sure what to do with it, but I think I am now. Anyway, this story is not up for adoption if anyone is wondering, and I will be working more on it now. I really hope this chapter is satisfactory, despite being somewhat boring. Also, I have some questions to ask. I want to ask you all if you want a lemon in this story somewhere. If you want one, kindly send me a private message, or email me at to tell me your answer. Unless I get at least 7 people telling me they want one, I will assume that you don't want one and not put one on. Unless I feel like it. Also, I am running out of ideas for this story, partly because I didn't develop it very well to begin with, and partly because it seems to cliche for me. So, if you have any suggestions, I would absolutely love to hear them. Finally, I'm thinking of posting a different story, one I've already finished, but still need to edit. If you guys want to see it, just send me a message. If at least ten people tell me they want to see it, then I'll post it. It is another vampire story, by the way, and unlike this one, it has vampires from the start. There will be vampires soon, just be patient please. Thanks so much for everyone who gave me a review and who has bothered reading this far! See ya some other time! By the way, I own all these characters, so no steal unless you private message me looking for permission and I grant it. So until then, Hanieya copyright! Peace out people! XD**

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><p>Chapter 7: Perfect. For Now.<p>

At the current time, my life was as perfect as it could be. I had a wonderful family, friends that I could count on for just about anything, and the most awesome boyfriend in the world. My parents could tell that my mood had improved greatly with Daniel coming into my life, and I now went to school with an eagerness to learn, wanting to prove that I could be just as smart as Daniel was. Even if he noticed though, Daniel made no comment about it, but I saw him giving me hidden smiles every now and again when we went on study dates, as if he knew he was the reason I had gone through so much trouble to improve my grades. Even so, if he knew, he knew, and I wasn't going to stop it and neither was he.

My friends were not jealous of my relationship with Daniel, even though I occasionally caught them giving us envious looks. They did not envy the fact that I had him, but the fact that I was so happy with him. They wished for happiness themselves, but being as pretty as they were, Chloe in particular, it was hard to find a guy that didn't just want her for her body. Still, they made an effort to act the same as normal, with some teasing after I went out with him and refused to describe what had happened. They were all good sports about it either way, and wished me well all along the way, in no way trying to damage what I had with him.

And Daniel: my wonderfully sweet boyfriend. He never pushed, never took anything without being sure I was ready to give it. He always showed signs of wanting me, both seriously and playfully, but I knew he would never try and force me into giving myself to him. He was always sweet with me, always carrying my books, always walking me to class before going to his own, and always giving me a sweet kiss on the lips before going, promising to see me at our next break.

Sometimes, it worried me that I didn't know when I would give myself up to him, and I worried that if I made him wait too long, he might leave me. Each time, I would tell myself that Daniel cared for me because I was me, not because of my body, and each time, I would counter myself by saying that even if that was true, he was still a guy, and guys wanted sex, plain and simple. Perhaps I was stupid to worry about that so early in our relationship, but I worried nonetheless, and nothing could stop it. It really didn't help that Chloe would constantly tease me about it after I refused to tell her the details of one of the dates he had took me on, which by the way, had concluded in a very hot make out session.

One time, I considered asking Daniel when we were sitting together at dinner, but then, I really thought about it, and blushed so hard my entire face turned red. Trust me, that isn't an exaggeration; I could see myself in my spoon's reflection. He glanced up at me while looking at his menu and raised an eyebrow, amused. "Is something the matter?" he'd asked.

I blushed harder, embarrassed that he'd noticed and tried to shrug it off as nothing, "It's nothing; I was just thinking of something silly."

He'd leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, "Oh? Enlighten me. What is this thing you find silly, my sweet?"

I'd let out a groan, "Don't make me say it, Daniel, please."

He laughed and kept pushing me, "Come on, Elena, what is it? What do you not want to tell me? I'm almost dying of curiosity."

Finally, after a few minutes of debating, I finally gave in, with the promise that he'd reward me in full for it later. By the way, the night I wouldn't tell Chloe what had happened? Yeah, it'd been that night.

"Well," I started hesitantly, blushing deeply, "I was just wondering, if sometimes you wished our relationship moved faster pace, so we would get to…that. Sometimes I wonder if I wait too long, you might leave me, and the thought itself just scares me. I mean, sure, it's still early in our relationship, but what if I say 'no' for too long? I'm scared you'll leave me for someone else-."

"Elena," he said savagely, cutting me off.

I shut up, but I refused to look at him. I felt a finger on my chin, and it forced my to look up, to face him after what I had just spewed out to him. The look I saw in his eyes stunned me to no end: there was nothing in his eyes, nothing at all, but pure love. The intensity in itself made me catch my breath, and he hadn't even spoken yet!

"Elena, listen to my words very carefully," he whispered, looking right into my eyes.

I nodded. Hell, at that moment, I couldn't have spoken if I'd wanted to; there was no breath in my body to do so. "I will not, ever, leave you just because you don't want to make love to me yet," he said, in the same soft, deep voice, "I will not just leave you because you don't feel comfortable enough to give yourself to me. You're still virgin, I know that, and I will honor that until you deem it is right to give it to the one you love. I will not press you for it, and I will make no attempts to force you to give yourself to me. The only time I will ever take you is when you feel that you feel that it is the right time for us, and no other. I want your first time to be special, and something you'll always treasure, not something you rushed into because you thought I was going to leave you. Do you understand? Yes, I will ogle at your body, and yes, I will want you a lot through out the time we're together, but I will never, ever, force you into something you aren't ready. Do you understand?"

He wanted an answer, but I couldn't speak; I didn't have the air for it. His words had left me stunned, touched, and completely, utterly in love with him. He was so sweet to say that, and I completely believed his words, because of the sincerity I could see in his eyes. He really never would push me for something I wasn't sure about, and even though I knew he wanted me, he would never force me into anything I wasn't ready for. I didn't trust my lips to speak for me. So, I answered him by kissing him, and it was the best kiss I ever had.

After that night, we'd grown even closer to each other, and we were even more in love then ever before. Yes, I could freely admit that I loved Daniel, and I wasn't ashamed of it either. We hadn't said it to each other yet, but I knew the time was coming soon; it was just a matter of who said it first.

Putting Daniel aside for a moment, I turn to the other man in my life: Arsenio. He and I were getting along better than I had thought possible, especially for us. We talked about what had gone wrong between us when we started, and we both apologized for acting so horrible to each other, because we both knew we were both to blame. He apologized for deceiving me in the first place, and I apologized for not being nicer about it. We never touched the topic of Alana though, whoever that was. I longed to ask him and to find out who she was, and why he had almost called me that, but I was almost afraid of the answer.

Neither of us was afraid of talking about anything awkward to each other, for some unknown reason, but neither of us thought anything about it either. We just went with it, easy and simple. There were times, when I was with him, that I still felt attracted to him, still wanted him like nothing else. I figured I was just being shallow, and just lusted after him, but as time went on, I started to understand that it wasn't just his looks that affected me, but his character itself. The easy confidence he displayed and the casualness with which he took on anything and everything appealed to me, made me want to try things I would never usually consider. I felt a need to prove myself to him, to show him that I was not helpless or weak, or a chicken. There was a need inside me, for him that not even Daniel could duplicate, and it scared me, because while I knew I loved Daniel, I also wanted Arsenio.

One day, after school, we were lying side by side on the carpet in his room, staring up through the skylight. It was a nice day, and I was already starting to doze, enjoying myself. We had talked non-stop for a few hours, and we were both getting somewhat tired.

"Hey," I whispered. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about; I just knew I wanted to speak. For the most part, I was curious as to what I would say, so I didn't even bother trying to stop myself.

"Hm?" he asked, his voice just as soft as my own.

"Who is Alana?" For a moment, the room was quiet; neither of us seemed to believe I had actually asked that question. But I had. "You, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, really, it just popped out." I was babbling, but I didn't know what else to do. By unspoken consent, we had both agreed not to talk about it, and now I had.

"It's okay," he said softly, "I'll answer; I know it's been bugging you for a while." I waited in silence for a few moments, holding my breath, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't for two minutes, I let go, disappointed. Then, he spoke. "Alana is a girl I knew a long time ago. You remind me of what I thought she would look like when she grew up. Alana was 14 years old when I met her, and I was 15 at the time. I loved her so much from the moment I saw her that I just had to have her. I asked her to go out with me, and she did. The days I spent with her were the best of my life, and I was so happy together with her. I constantly told my best friend about her, even if I never revealed her name to him. At the same time, he told me he had a girlfriend as well, one that he was madly in love with. We talked about each of our girlfriends to each other, marveling the beauty to each other, everything.

"One day, I went to see him, hang out together. I found them together, making out. I was so enraged I tore them apart and demanded how he could do that to me. He seemed confused, and told me she was his girlfriend, the one he had told me about. I was confused too, saying that she was my girlfriend, not his. We started fighting over her, not even caring that she was there yelling at us to stop and trying to pry us apart. Somewhere in the middle, she got caught, and she was killed." He took a shaky breath, "We blamed each other for her death, and we talked no more, hating each other with a passion. We were both hurt by her betrayal, but we still loved her, even as we knew she had cheated on us both with the other. We never did find out who had landed the ending blow, but I remember feeling flesh right before she fell, and my friend knew it too, so he assumed it was me.

"When I saw you then, I thought you were Alana come back from the dead to haunt me for what I had done. When I realized you were a different person, I parted myself from you, scared of what I would do to harm you like I did her. I was attracted to you from the start, Elena, because not only did you resemble Alana, but you had the spirit I always wished inside her."

I was stunned by his words; that had happened to him? Now I felt like a completely bitch for being so mean to him about it. "Oh my gosh, Arsenio, I'm so sorry. I didn't know; I thought-."

He placed a hand over my mouth and smiled at me, "It's okay; you have no need to apologize-."

"I do! I acted like a completely-." It seemed like we were going to spend the entire day cutting each other off in the middle of sentences. He turned onto his side and forced me to look at him. His dark eyes met mine own and blazed with heat, so intense that I could barely breath at the force of it.

"No, Elena, it isn't your fault; you didn't know, and it doesn't matter. IT is not your fault for doing that, understand? It wasn't your fault to begin with, and it still isn't. Do you understand?" That was the second time in a short while that a guy had asked me if I understood, and just like last time, I could do nothing but shake my head as an answer; I was capable of nothing else.

So, from there, we just got closer, even as Daniel and I had. We hung out so often it was almost like I spent every waking moment when I wasn't at school or with Daniel with him. There was a part of me that wondered if I was cheating with Daniel if I was spending this much time with him, but I shook the thought off, convinced that Arsenio and I were just friends. Despite my saying that, I could not deny that there was a part of me that wanted Arsenio more than ever now that he had shown me his true nature.

Now that he wasn't hiding who he was from me, and I could see who he really was, if I said I wasn't attracted to it in both a physical and mental way, I would be telling the biggest lie I'd ever told in my life. I mean, come on, you can't blame me; any girl who wasn't lesbian would look at that guy and fall in a lust-induced haze, no exaggeration. I remember what Nicole had said to me after I went on my date with him: that man was like sex on legs. That was so true if you were just looking at his body, not at his personality.

His character itself spoke to me in ways I did not understand, but I found myself craving his company as I did Daniels, and it surprised me to no end. As truth went, I thought it was because he was like the typical 'dark, mysterious stranger', and that was the reason. I knew I was wrong. He was neither polite nor sweet around me, except under certain circumstances. He did not treat me as a lady, and he did not treat me as something that could be broken. The thing, I think, that appealed to me, was that aspect in itself: he treated me like an equal. He challenged me as he would any other person, and he joked with me as he would any other person. He constantly teased me that I was weaker than him, and that I would have to work hard to catch up to him. Even though he said that, he did not act as if he were inferior to me, unless he was teasing.

I remembered what Winsey had told me once: girls will always be inferior to men. When I had argued and protested, she made me understand her logic. Guys were stronger than us in all physical ways, whether speed or strength. Also, all the great people of history were men, with a few exceptions here and there, so we could never be better than then intellectually either. When I argued that singers were girls, she countered by saying it was just because a woman's song is naturally more beautiful, because they reached higher notes, but men were could also reach the high notes, and they could reach the low notes too, whereas we could not. She ended off by telling me that the only thing women could ever excel in was kindness, because the huge male pride kept men from being as kind as they should have been. That night, after she had told me, I'd seen her logic, and it has made me depressed

Now, the point of me telling you this is because when I was with Arsenio, I saw the truth in her words, but I also saw the contradiction. Arsenio treated me like an equal; he treated me as if I were at the same level at him. He did not go easy on me, did not pity me, but rather went full out at me, despite my losing to him constantly. Even Daniel did not do that for me. Sure, he treated me special, and he treated as if I were better than him, but in doing that, he also proved that he believed I needed to be treated specially, because I'll break down if I don't. That was the difference. Perhaps I was reading too far into it, but I didn't think so, not in this case. As the fact went though, it no longer mattered, because I was with Daniel now, and nothing on my side would be the reason we broke up. Oh, how naïve I am to believe that. Things maybe be perfect for now, but there was something in me, a gut feeling if you will, that knew this would not last for too long, and God save me when that time comes, because I don't know if I'll survive it.


	8. The Beginning of Hell

Chapter 8: The Beginning of Hell

Life was going well, or as well as it should have been. Well, it was better than I thought it would be, having to juggle two boys, homework, chores, family, and my gaggle of friends.

"Hey beautiful," Daniel whispered, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulled me into his chest and placed feather soft kissed all over my nape.

I shivered at the pleasure of it and leaned back into him, smiling with my eyes closed. "Mmmm."

He chuckled softly against my neck, sending vibrations through my body and making me shiver. At that moment, I didn't even care that I didn't remember what I had been thinking about before he got here; all that mattered was that he was here, and he was making me feel oh so wonderful.

"How was your day, my sweet?"

"As good as it's ever been. And yours?"

"Horrible when I am not with you." If that boy was trying to make my heart stop beating, he was doing a dandy good job of it. There was only one other thing at that moment that could have made my heart burst. "Elena, would you like to go out for dinner tonight with me?"

I smiled, turned and gave him a peck on the lips, "I would love to. Pick me up at 7?"

He smiled, "Absolutely. This time, so you can't complain about not dressing nicely enough, I'm telling you that we're going somewhere nice, so put on a dress tonight? For me?"

I groaned and laughed, "How long are you going to try and get me in a dress?"

He leaned closer with a devilish smile, "Until the day I can fulfill my fantasy of undressing you in one."

My cheeks flared red with heat, and for a moment, I thought I was going to die from lack of air entering my system. "I, Daniel, uh-."

He smiled and pulled me into a hug, "I'm not asking you to let me make love to you tonight, Elena, don't be so scared. I already told you; the only time I will ever take you is when I believe you want it. However, that fact will not prevent me from making sexual comments, just so I can see your amazingly cute blush."

He got his wish: I blushed even more. He laughed again and gave me a kiss. "So, tonight?"

"Yeah, for sure. I'll wear a dress if you want, and I'll make sure it's something extra sexy just so you can ogle after me," I winked, flirting shamelessly with him.

He let out a groan, "Are you trying to torture me? Because it is definitely working very, very well."

"That's good; I intend to do that a lot tonight just for the sake of doing it. I don't know; maybe I'll wear a strapless dress and not wear a bra either…"

He turned a lustful gaze at me, "Elena, if you do that, I will not be responsible if I force you to make love to me." I knew he was joking, but the heat in his eyes told me he would actually do it if I gave him permission.

I pulled away, feeling smug about my victory, "We'll see. Why are we going somewhere fancy?"

"You don't remember what day it is today?"

"I do, I just want you to tell me to see if you remember." I was just saying that; I actually forgot. I searched my memory as fast as I could, then my heart almost stopped beating: it was our month-aversary. I mentally banged my head against my locker; how the hell had I forgotten it was today? What sad excuse was I for a girlfriend if I couldn't remember our one month? Stupid Elena! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

He sighed and let out a low chuckle, "I know you forgot, Elena. It's our month-aversary today."

I let out a groan and hugged him as tight as I could, "I am so sorry, Daniel, really."

He gave me a small smile, even though there was a bit of hurt in his eyes, "One of the things I like about you is that you don't make any lame excuses for forgetting. It's fine, Elena."

I smiled and pecked him lightly on the lips. I didn't believe that it was okay for one second, but fine, if he wanted to play it that way, so be it. "I'll make it up to you later, I promise."

He smiled, "I'll keep you to that. I've been wondering for a while how loudly I can make you scream even without being completely sexual; maybe I'll try that tonight after dinner in the car." This boy was going to be the death of me, I swear it; his words were making me go crazy already, and he hadn't even done anything yet for Christ's sakes!

So, that day, I went to the mall on my own, looking desperately for something to buy Daniel, and for a dress. Sure, I already had a few at home, but I wanted something new to show off, just for him. I wanted something daring, something that would turn him on without me even needing to do any posing. First thing was first though: his present. For two hours, I went around the mall, searching for something he would like. I considered several things: a new watch, a guy chain, a new shirt; hell, I even considered buying him a video game!

Finally, after I had been wandering around for about two hours, I found it. My eyes were just sweeping tiredly over the shops when I found the perfect for him: a guitar. He had told me constantly that he wanted to learn how to play one, but his parents would not pay for him to have lessons, and he did not have one besides that. The guitar I found came with a self-tuner, and the man I bought it from held lessons. I quickly signed Daniel up for it, and paid the $50 dollars it cost for the five lessons. I left the shop; happy that I had gotten him something he actually wanted.

Next came the dress shopping. I walked around for a bit, this one much easier to find than the other. In the end, I settled on something simple. The dress I found was a light colored purple, kind of like lavender but somewhat darker. It was indeed strapless, as I had warned Daniel about, with a straight neckline, cinched tightly at my waist to show of my small stomach, and feel down softly to about mid-thigh. To top it off, it had small embroidery at the bottom, small flowers curling delicately on each other sewed in black thread. It was nice, and it made Daniel do everything I had hoped for.

When I opened the door for him that night, a bouquet of flowers, red roses to be exact had met me. I'd taken them without saying a word and went to put them in a vase, hiding a small smile. When I had turned around again, Daniel's mouth was open in shock and his eyes were bugging out of his head almost. I placed a hand on my hip and struck a pose, smiling mischievously, "Like something you see, Daniel?"

He gulped, "Most definitely, my beautiful Elena." He gulped again, "Now, if you'll just excuse me for a second…" He turned around, taking calm breaths, and I giggled. He smiled at me over his shoulder, "You have no idea how much the sight of you in that dress turns me on," he said.

Smiling seductively, I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him to me. He groaned, "Elena, let go of me, please; I don't want to lose my control, not while your parents are probably watching me." That man was such a gentleman.

He calmed down, then smiled at me and held out his arm. I placed my hand delicately in the crook of his elbow, and he walked me to his car. In the month since we had started dating, he had passed his L test, and was now free to drive wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. This wasn't the first time I had sat there, but I still loved the privacy it brought us. He took my hand and drove us to the restaurant, smiling all the way. We didn't speak, but we didn't need to; we knew there would be time later during our dinner to talk.

When we got there, we sat down and ordered quickly. Then, he smiled at me, a brilliant smile, "You look amazing, Elena."

I blushed and smiled, "Same to you."

We talked easier after that, Daniel making more sexual comments than usual. We talked, we laughed, we had an amazing time. After we ordered desert, I couldn't hold it in anymore. We spoke at the same time. "Daniel-." "Elena-."

We looked at each other and laughed, then he motioned, "You first, I insist."

I smiled and handed him the receipt I had gotten when I bought his gift. "This is for you."

He gave me a confused look, but read over it slowly. "Elena, what is this? Are you getting guitar lessons?"

I shook my head, my smile getting wider, "No, I got **you** a guitar and lessons. Happy month-aversary, Daniel."

His mouth dropped open in shock, and he just looked at me, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but he didn't seem to know what to say. Finally, "I, I can't accept, this, Elena."

My smile fell from my face, "Do you already have it? I'm so sorry, I can take it back to the store and-."

He shook his head, a hand over his eyes, "No, it's not that. It's just, this is so big, and it's so wonderful; too wonderful for me."

I relaxed; I'd almost thought he didn't like it. I went over to him and gave him a hug, pulling him into my arms. I laid his head against my chest and held him tightly, resting my cheek on his hair, "I want you to have this," I said softly, "You give me all these wonderful things, and I have never once repaid you for this. Let me do this for you, please."

His arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me even closer to him. "Thank you, Elena, thank you so, so, so much. I will find a way to repay you for this, make note of it, even if I have to come to your window every night for the rest of my life and serenade you."

We were both still for a moment, then we burst out laughing; I don't think either of us could picture Daniel getting on his knees and serenading anyone. It was a cute picture thought, so I just kissed him sweetly, "All I want is you."

When I finally moved back to my seat after he kissed me furiously for a few minutes, during which our waiter came with our desert and left, blushing a dark red. We kissed for so long other tables came looking at us and wolf whistling. Our ending position? Me sitting on his lap, straddling his legs, our arms wrapped tightly around each other. Looking at it, you might think it wasn't the most comfortable position, but trust me, it was, it was all right.

When I returned to my seat, I was blushing red like a radish, and he was smiling brilliantly. "Now, this is my gift to you, my lovely Elena." He reached into his pocket and handed me a box.

My eyes widened when I saw it, and I took it with shaking hands. I opened it, and saw the most beautiful necklace ever. It had a very simple interlocking chain made of gold, and as a pendant, it was a small heart, also made of gold, and a little rose made of small diamonds on the upper right side. The heart was not a perfect heart, but rather, set off to the side a bit, the end twisting a bit to the left side.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, trying to control the love I felt. "This is amazing," I whispered hoarsely, "It's so beautiful-."

"There's more," he whispered.

I looked at him with wide-eyes, and he motioned for me to flip it around. I did as he said, and my heart just stopped all together. Engraved there, in small, delicately curving letters, were the words. "I love you, my beautiful Elena. Forever yours, Daniel Centanio."

I looked up at him, and his eyes were full of love. My own eyes welled up with tears, and he came to me, holding me tightly. "Oh, my love," he whispered softly, "Don't cry, please. Shh…"

He just held me as I wept softly into his chest. I didn't know why I was crying, but I was so happy I couldn't help it. "I love you," I whispered softly, "I love you so much, Daniel. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." I was so happy that he had done this for me; I would be eternally grateful. It was the most perfect gift I had ever gotten, from anybody. For a moment, during my crying, I mused that it was so simple for guys to find gifts for girls; all they had to do was buy some nice jewelry and that was that. Girls though, had to search long and hard for something their boyfriend would want. Even so, I loved his gift so dearly it drove me crazy.

Afterwards, we finished our deserts; just giving each other love filled gazes every so often. We didn't speak; we didn't need to. Every look we gave each other held so much love I almost thought I could live on nothing else, with the way it filled my chest. It was like my heart had been void of all emotion until this day. The raw feeling that filled me was amazing, pure, and wonderful.

When we got back to the car, we all but attacked each other. We kissed each other with an intensity that made all our other kisses seem like feathers brushing against each other. He groaned and pulled me into his lap once more, kissing down my neck and sucking on the skin. He made me moan, over and over again with pleasure, driving me to insanity. He ran his longs on my skin, pushing up the hem of my dress to stroke my leg. He kissed along my collar, and then bit the skin gently, making me cry out again. He really did want to make me scream, didn't he?

Even so, I refused to let him have all the fun. I pulled him back to my lips, and kissed him passionately. I sucked on his lower lip, making him groan and grind against me. At the contact, we both let out a moan, louder than the others. I kissed against his jaw, taking my sweet time in torturing him. I kissed against his neck, threading my fingers in his hair. Over and over again I kissed him, stopping occasionally to suck on the skin and bite it gently.

Finally, we pulled away, both of us panting hard. "I want you," he said huskily. The need in his eyes drove me crazy and pulled me in two different directions. Part of me was scared of him, but the other part wanted him too.

"Daniel, I-."

He didn't give me a chance to answer. Instead, he kissed me again, grinding against me. I let out a moan, even as his hands pushed the hem of my dress up. Now, I was starting to feel uncomfortable, "Daniel, please."

"Elena, I want you so much," he whispered against my skin, but I'm scared I can't stop. Please, move away from me now." Even though he said that, he kept touching me, kept groping me.

I moved away quickly, my chest heaving. He leaned back and let out a sigh, "Thank heavens."

I was a bit insulted by his words, and I was pretty sure he saw it too, because he shook his head rapidly, "No, no, Elena, you mistake me. I want you so much, but I'm scared you don't want this yet. If I went on any further, I would take you right here, right now, regardless of whether you were ready or not, and I would never force that on you, not if I could stop it." His words were so sweet, and his voice was sincere. I believed him. "Don't ever think that I don't want you, because I do. I meant every word on that necklace, Elena. I will love you forever, no matter what happens between us, even if we break up, I will always love you."

I smiled and kissed him again sweetly, "I believe you."

He drove me home in silence after that, holding my hand with his. When we neared my house, he told me, "If you don't mind, I'd like to be introduced to your parents. I've never met them, and I thought this might be the time, since it also gives me a good chance to escape should it get awkward." A wry smile touched his lips at the last part, and I gave him a small kiss.

"If you want."

We arrived at my house, and he opened my door for me like a gentleman. I smiled, so caught up in Daniel that I didn't even notice the black motorcycle parked in my driveway. I should have, but I didn't, and perhaps if I had, I would have been saved several problems.

I opened the door and ushered him in, closing the door behind him. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" I called.

They came to greet me, their eyes sweeping swiftly over Daniel, "Welcome home, Elena. Is this your boyfriend?"

I nodded, still holding his hand, "Daniel, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Daniel Centanio."

Daniel smiled and gave them a small bow, "A pleasure, Mr and Mrs. Sky. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you have allowed me to date your daughter."

My mom smiled at him, "It isn't a problem, Daniel. You seem like a wonderful young man."

At that moment, a voice came from the kitchen, "Yo! Elena! It's about time, I was starting to think I wouldn't get to see your lovely face today."

My heart almost stopped as I recognized the voice, and I silently begged whatever God there was to keep him away! My pleas, sadly, were not answered.

Arsenio came walking into the room with an easy stride, a smile on his face. He glanced at me and nodded, smirking, "Dressed up today, are we? It looks good on you; I totally approve."

I knew the moment Daniel and Arsenio saw each other, because Daniel went stiff as a board next to me, and Arsenio did the same across the room. They just stared at each other with wide-eyes, each filled with shock. Then, they did the one thing I probably should have expected, but didn't. "You…"


	9. The Second Time

**Chapter 9: The Second Time**

They spoke at the exact same time, with the same tone. They were filled with shock, stun, surprise, whatever else you can think of. I glanced between the two of them, baffled; did they know each other? And if they did, how did they? I admit that there was a lot about both of them that they didn't know, but still, I would have thought I'd known if Arsenio and Daniel knew one another.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused.

No answer.

"Someone answer me!" I cried, starting to get scared.

"Elena," Arsenio said softly, dangerously, "Move away from him, now."

"Arsen-."

"Now Elena! He's dangerous!" That made Daniel break.

"Me, dangerous?" he shouted, "You're forgetting our past! Unless you forget, I am not the one that landed the last blow! I am not the one that exploded with jealously and refused to listen to reason! You dare call **me** dangerous, Emil?"

Emil? Who was that? "You cannot put the blame solely on me!" Arsenio shot right back, "I will admit to having some fault, but it was yours as well as mine! We both agreed to not knowing who was the one that landed the blow! You did not try to stop me, Davide; you cannot not blame me only and not yourself!" Who the hell is Davide?

"I believe I can," Daniel snarled. "You admitted it yourself: you felt soft flesh before she fell. You told me that to my face right after she felt lifeless at our feet. I have no blame in this and you know it; you merely seek to put the blame elsewhere, even if you know it does not belong there."

"What did you expect would happen?" Arsenio demanded, "I freely admit to be the cause of her death, but did you not expect it? We did not know we were with the same woman! You stole her from me! I had her first!"

Daniel snapped. He moved faster than my eyes could see, charging at Arsenio with a murderous look in his eyes. The next second, they were on the floor, grappling and clawing at each other. "How dare you!" he growled, "How dare you say that! Alana loved me!"

Arsenio shouted something incomprehensible to me, and I saw Daniel shout something back. At that moment, I could hear nothing but the pounding blood in my ears. What the heck was happening to me? Without thinking, I launched myself onto them. I knew my mouth was open, but what I was saying, I did not know. Perhaps I was screaming too, perhaps I was yelling at them to stop, or maybe I was just scared. Whatever it was, it didn't matter at the moment; I just needed them to damning stop before they murdered themselves!

Somehow, along the way, I was pulled into the fray, and I was getting beaten alive, no exaggeration. Both men were freakishly strong, and in their hatred of each other, they didn't seem to notice that I was in the middle. I begged, them to stop, even as I felt an elbow catch me in the stomach, and a fist to my face. At that point, I was so deep into the battle that I couldn't have gotten out if I wanted to, and while my health told me I would faint if I didn't get out, I refused to leave until they were far away from each other and not damning fighting!

I felt a hand on my chest, and a small force on it. A second later, I was forced out of the fight and slammed into a wall. The force with which I hit the wall was enough to make stars jump out in front of my eyes, causing me to lose consciousness for a second. "Elena!" I heard both men yell vaguely.

It was too much. The pain they were causing by fighting, combined with the pain of the hit was enough to make me black out for a second. It made me lose focus, made me wonder if it was better to just knock myself out and be done with. Perhaps that was the best course of action; I didn't really know. The only thing I really knew at that moment was that I hurt, both inside and out.

My mind seemed to retreat from my tired body and curled up on itself. The action gave me enough energy to think, without the pain of my physical body to disrupt me. Once there, thoughts exploded through my mind, the first and foremost being 'Who the hell are Emil and Davide?' Then came the following parts, like 'How do they now each other?' and 'Is Daniel the best friend Arsenio told me about before?' The thoughts overrode my mind, driving me crazy with confusion. I wanted to retreat from it all, sleep, anything that would not pain me more than I already was. But hell, when had things ever gone my way?

I felt an aching inside my skull, kind of like a pressure building. It pressed the inside of my skull, growing stronger and stronger until I screamed in pain. What was this? Why was this happening? What was going on damn it? I fled from the pressure, trying to hide, but I couldn't. The pressure followed me, growing stronger the more I fled from it. Vaguely, I thought I could hear voices inside it, but I didn't know for sure. Excuse me for not knowing though; I was somewhat busy screaming to pay attention. The pressure kept building to the point where I thought my head would just explode with it.

There was a small part of my brain that thought that I would escape it if I just went with it, but I knew that was stupid beyond belief. If I went with it, I would not be able to resist, and the pressure would probably kill me. Maybe I kept screaming; I don't know, and I really didn't care. I just knew it hurt like hell.

Through my haze of pain, I felt heaviness within my body, kind of like how you feel after eating a lot, but worse. I tried to force it away, preferring the pain to it. There was something in me that recognized it, but from where I could not remember. However, the more I pushed on it, the closer it came; it refused to leave me alone!

In an attempt to escape it, I retreated further into myself, wounding myself up tighter within the little ball I had imagined. Why wouldn't everything just leave me alone already! I wanted them all to be gone and away from me! The pain was eating at me inside my body, making me scream continuously, and the heaviness on my body felt like it would crush me. Trust me; it wasn't the most comfortable feeling ever.

I was pretty sure that at some point, I had started writhing around on the floor, screaming. Why would nothing leave me alone so I could pay attention to Daniel and Arsenio? I fought against the forces as hard as I could; I really did, but who was I to fight against the supernatural?

The moment I finished that thought, something to spoke to me. _That's right, girlie, who are you to fight against the supernatural? Now, allow me to have your body; I have things of importance that I need done. _

Panic overrode my body as I tried to search in my mind for the source of the voice. "Where are you!" I screamed, "Go away! Leave me alone!" Fear crashed through me, drowning me completely. "Go away!" I screamed again. My heart was pounding; my brain was turning off with my panic attack. All I could do was scream at it to go away from me, whatever 'it' was.

_ "You said yourself you are no one to fight against the supernatural, and the supernatural I am. So, having confirmed that, give me your body!"_ The voice continued speaking to me, ignoring my protests and screaming.

"Please!" I sobbed, "Go away! Leave me alone!" Maybe tears were streaming down my face; I didn't know. With the mess going on inside my body, it was a miracle I still knew my own damn name!

The voice continued to ignore my pleas, and it kept trying to ask me nicely. I knew its patience was wearing thin, and I hoped that if I continued to refuse, it would eventually just leave me alone. Oh, how wrong I was. _"Enough! Give me your body or I will subject you to pain so great you will not know your own name!"_

That scared me, but I refused once more, hoping to dear Lord whatever it was, was bluffing. It wasn't. Pressure built inside my brain, squeezing it, and made me scream again. I felt like my head was going to explode! On and on it went inside my head, then my stomach, and my chest, everywhere. She went around it in cycles, staying just long enough to cause me pain that made me wish I could die before moving on to the next. She stopped just enough to give my body time to relax before going at it again.

"Okay!" I screamed at last, "Take it! Just please stop already! Please!"

I felt a deep sort of satisfaction emanating from whatever it was, and the pressure increased. I let out another scream, clawing at myself with my hands. "I thought I said you could take it!"

_ "Yes, you did, but no one ever said it wouldn't hurt when I did,"_ it hissed savagely. The pain increased inside my body and I kept screaming, clawing at whatever I could.

"Stop!" I screamed, over and over again. "Please! Stop!" It was a miracle I could still speak or even think amongst my screams.

The pressure kept increasing within me, and slowly, it started stopping. I could feel myself being pulled away from my body, ever so slowly. The force was soothing, and barely painful at all. In my logic, I reasoned, the further I got from my body, the less pain I would feel, since it was my body that was full of pain.

As I kept drifting out of it, I remembered what had happened the last time this had happened. "Emil is Arsenio," my brain told me, _"The lady who wants my body said so. Arsenio called her Alana, so Alana is take over my body? Isn't Alana dead? Arsenio told me he killed her by accident though. Besides, Daniel knows it too, seeing as how those two are still probably battling it out. Logic follows that if Arsenio is Emil, then Daniel must be Davide, but what is up with those names? Their names are Arsenio and Daniel, aren't they? Why the hell did they call each other Emil and Davide? Are those even real names? Hell, what's going on?"_

I compared what I had concluded with what I had experienced myself. The voice had been undoubtedly female, but with a childish hint to it. _Well, Arsenio did say she was what, 14, when she died, so no surprises I guess._ Furthermore, Alana seemed to know about Arsenio, well, so there was no one else it could be. I briefly wondered how either guy could have fallen for her; she was so creepy it was… creepy. Hell, that doesn't make sense, does it? Also, from what Alana had done to me as a person, she really wasn't all that nice; she'd basically forced me out of my body. I wasn't sure how that worked elsewhere, but in Elena's world, it certainly qualified as bitchy attitude. Hell, how could Arsenio fall for a girl like this? She was frickin' horrible!

By the time I had made those conclusions, I was already fully out of my body. I was in my house still, and I could see what was going on now, but I wasn't inside my body. Weird…

It occurred to me that Alana had said she was the supernatural, so I frowned. How was Alana supernatural if she had been killed so easily? Unless Arsenio was lying to me? Ugh, my brain hurt just thinking about all of it. It made sense that she was supernatural; she had taken over my body after all, and I was pretty damn sure the law of physics said that wasn't suppose to be possible. However, there was the possibility that this was all a dream. Considering the pain I had felt though, I was pretty damn sure it was no dream, no matter how much I would prefer it if it were one. Ah hell, whatever.

I tuned in to what was happening in my living room. My parents seemed to be frozen in the place, with their eyes wide and their mouths open to speak. I willed myself to move closer to them, and what do you know, I could. On closer inspection, I noticed they actually were frozen. "Shoot! What the hell did she do to them?" I cried in annoyance. I briefly considered trying to snap them out of it, but knew it was probably better if they didn't see what was going on, so I decided against it.

I turned to Arsenio and Daniel. They were both shaking me, while fighting at the same time. "Elena! Wake up!" Daniel cried, shaking me and slapping me, or rather, my body, gently.

"She isn't waking up, and it's been what, an hour!" Arsenio fretted, trying to push Daniel out of the way while he held me gently. Seriously? It's been an hour? No way man; I would have known if it'd been that long! Apparently though, I didn't.

"Let go of her!" Daniel demanded, "She's my girlfriend! She chose me first this time!"

"No, she chose me first," Arsenio snapped back, "I just made sure she stayed away; I didn't need to get close to her and she didn't need to get close to me, not after what happened to Alana."

"Then you should have stayed away!" Daniel hollered, "She just admitted she loved me today! Don't get in the way again!"

"Alana chose me first and you know it!" Arsenio roared, "She loved me better!"

"If that was true, why did she date me as well?"

"If it weren't true, she would have broke up with me! Admit it! You're just jealous that she always loved me more than you!"

Man, were they seriously fighting now when I was laying there screaming my head off? It occurred to me that I should have been still, now that Alana was in my body, and yet, I was still screaming. Was that to throw off the guys? To make them think that it was still I in there?

I tuned out to their conversation, focusing myself on my own body. It was so weird to see myself as I was, instead of a mirror. For once, I got to see myself as other people saw me, and it was pretty damn interesting. Perhaps I should have been freaking out, but I wasn't; I was perfectly peaceful. How odd… Ah hell, whatever; it didn't matter too much. All that really mattered at that moment was that I had to make the most of the experience and learn as much as I could.

Or at least, I tried to. I grimaced in distaste as I listened to myself scream non-stop. It hurt my ears, and made me think that I myself should be feeling pain, but I wasn't. Trust me on this; it's very, very disconcerting hearing yourself scream, but not feeling anything to make you scream. Hell, I had to make myself shut up, or I would wake the whole neighborhood! Hell, what is wrong with me? That doesn't even make sense! I had to stop thinking of my body as me; it was Alana now, and I probably couldn't do anything about it until she let me take it back…

Alana didn't move, but she did stop screaming. Both guys looked at her, puzzled, as she grew completely and utterly still. I felt a sense of foreboding, and I knew she was going to do something to them. I didn't know what she was going to do, but I knew it was bad. They had to get out of there.

I rushed to their side and tried to get their attention, anything. I screamed in Daniel's face, I slapped Arsenio, but they didn't notice; they just kept their eyes on Alana. I screamed in frustration! They had to damning get out of there! Alana meant to harm them, and I cared to much about both of them to let them get hurt! "Daniel!" I screamed in his face, "Listen to me! You have to get out of there!" No answer. I turned to Arsenio, giving up on Daniel. "Please! Arsenio! Leave my body alone damn it! It's not me in there! Please get out of there! Hurry up!" He gave no indication he even knew I as there, which he probably didn't.

"Alana!" I screamed at my body, "Stop it! Don't hurt them! Please!" It must be ignore Elena day, because no one in hell was paying any attention to me at all. "Alana!" I hollered, "Stop this damn it!"

Too late. Arsenio and Daniel were thrown away from my body with a sudden burst of power, and I could do nothing about it. I could only watch helplessly as they both smashed into opposite walls with a hard 'thump' sound and slid to the ground, wincing and rubbing their heads. They were not allowed to go any further, either of them; they were being held back by some force. Daniel looked confused, but Arsenio seemed to know what was going on. I saw him mouth the words, "Oh no…" right before the not-me spoke.

"You two… You are the reason my body lies in the cold earth."


	10. Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

Chapter 10: Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

It was my body that had spoken, and it was my lips that had moved, but it was not my voice that anyone heard. The voice I heard then was the exact one I had heard in my head, the one that was asking for my body. It was pretty obvious that they would have been one and the same, but knowing that, however, did not make hearing it any less terrifying or abnormal. People expect, that when you open your mouth, and when you move, that it is you doing all those things, but it wasn't; it was someone else this time, and man was it freaky or what?

Arsenio hopped to his feet, trying to force his way through the barrier, even as Daniel did the same. "Elena, what are you talking about?" he cried, anguish on his face, "Love! Talk to me!"

"Davide," Arsenio hissed, "Shut up-."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Listen to me you fool!" Arsenio just about shouted, "That is **not** Elena, damn it!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Did you hit your head? That is Elena, or do you not even know what the girl you love looks like, Emil? Don't give me all that bullshit; you just want her for yourself!"

_Girl he loves? Does he mean me?_ "Listen to Emil, Davide," the not-me purred, "You don't know whom you speak to. If you did, you would not be so quick to speak, my sweet love."

I could clearly see Arsenio bristle in hatred, even as Daniel appeared confused as hell. His eyes were so open I could almost see the thoughts flicker through his mind. "Who are you?" he whispered. Isn't it obvious yet? I thought Daniel, or Davide, or whoever the hell he was, was smart! However, Alana was dead, and had been for a long time, so I guess it made sense, albeit in a rather weird manner.

Alana walked over to where Daniel was, and leaned forward, smiling seductively. My dress had been rumpled during my screaming, and now was just barely covering my chest. Now, with Alana leaning forward, Daniel would probably pretty much see most of my chest, something which should have been mine to show him if I chose to, not his.

I flew over to Alana and poked her hard, "Yo! That's not cool man! Do not damning flaunt my body around like that!" I knew she wouldn't be able to hear me, but hell; it was worth a shot.

To my surprise, Alana gave me a death glare and flicked her… finger? My finger? Whatever, she flicked me off. Oh, that girl does not know who she is damning messing with. That was **my** body, lady, and I would damning have it back even if it killed me in the attempt. But not now. I actually wanted to know what Daniel would say, and what Alana would say to the two of them now that she actually had a chance. However, once I had my fill, I swear I would force her away from me. Once I figured out how of course, which might not be as easy as I hoped.

Even as I finished that thought, I made myself a small promise, telling myself that once this was all over and done with, I would find out what was going on from the guys, whether they wanted to tell me or not. Either way, I would find out what had happened all those years ago, and I would finally settle it once and for all. Perhaps I was butting into their business, perhaps I had no part in it, but I didn't care; Daniel was my boyfriend, and Arsenio was one of my best friends, so I had every right to butt into their business, even if they might hate me later for it.

"You know who I am, my sweet love," Alana whispered, "Listen to my voice; look at who I am. You know me."

Daniel looked at her steadily enough, with the small exception when his eyes trailed over to my chest. He kept thinking to the point where I wondered how much more dense he could get. Then, finally, his eyes opened in understanding, and he looked up into her eyes, my eyes, and breathed one word out. "Alana…" During all that time, Arsenio said nary a word.

He looked at my face, searching my eyes with a hungry look in his eyes. I could be wrong, but I felt my heart break just a bit, looking at him look at her like that instead of me. "It's you, isn't it? It's you, isn't it Alana?"

"No shit Sherlock," Arsenio finally hissed, "Alana, stop torturing him like this and just tell him it's you damn it."

"Stay out of this," Daniel snapped, "She isn't talking to you, Emil."

"Are you just going to let her take over your girlfriend's body?" Arsenio demanded, "Do you care naught for Elena? What do you think happens to her while Alana is here? She could be dead, for Christ's sakes!"

"You're just jealous that Alana came to me and not you!" Daniel roared, "You already stole her from me once! If you remember the friendship we once shared, if you feel any of what you did for me then now, let me talk to Alana and shut the hell up!" With those words, Daniel turned his back in Arsenio.

I quickly glanced at Arsenio, to see him seething, hatred pouring off him in tidal waves. I sympathized with him, but I also had to admit that if I didn't know any better, I would think he was trying to get Alana away from Daniel as well. However, I did know better, and know that Arsenio really was concerned for my safety; the way his eyes darted around in anxiety just proved it.

His eyes slid past me several times, but they never once just stopped on me, a fact that frustrated me to no end. "Damn it Arsenio," I cursed softly, "Hurry up and see me already!"

After a few moments of crazy theatrics in his face in an attempt to make him see me, I gave up and turned back to Daniel and Alana. I knew without a doubt that that royal pain in the butt could see me, and I intended to make her tell Daniel and Arsenio that I was still there, just so they wouldn't worry. Oh wow, I was so stupid then to think I could have made anyone do anything at that point.

I floated over to them and listened to their conversation. "I can't believe you're back," Daniel said hoarsely, his eyes bright with unshed tears, "I thought Arsenio killed you; I thought you were gone forever!"

The me, and yet not me, placed my hand, her hand, on his cheek. I felt the mad urge to tear my own hand away from Daniel's face, but that made no sense, and I wouldn't be able to do it even if I wanted to; I'd already tried touching people and it didn't work for shit. Ah hell, this was a damn horrible situation. "I have never left you; not really, Davide. I have always been with you."

"How is this possible, Alana? I saw you die; I went to your funeral."

She hesitated then, "Davide, there's something I haven't told you. Even so; I can't stay here much longer; the girl will be wanting her body back."

"No!" he cried, reaching out and taking her hand in a death-like grasp. I felt my heart break just a bit then as I watched the anguish in his eyes. That anguish though, was not for me, but for his old love. The love I had no part in. It hurt to see him with so much love in his eyes and not aimed at me. I knew I had no right to feel jealous, especially considering what they had went through, but I couldn't help it; Daniel was mine now, and she looked like she was trying to steal him away from me. From the looks of it, it was working too…

"Please," he whispered, "Stay here with me, Alana, I beg you!"

"The girl will want her body back; I cannot stay here forever, Davide, even if I wanted to."

He let out a groan and clawed at his hair with his right hand, a motion I recognized as his being lost as to what he should do. "What if I found you another body to inhabit?" His reply was so quiet I almost didn't hear it. Almost, but I still did, and boy was I worried then.

Alana looked at him sadly and shook her head, sorrow filling her features, "The only reason I can even inhabit this girl's body is because I have a strong connection to her; another's would not do."

I saw Daniel take a deep breath, and suddenly, I knew what he said next would affect us forever. "I can't let you go," he whispered, "I just found you, and then you left me, because that idiot made a mistake." I felt my heart break even more; it was ironic, how he just told me he loved me that exact day, and now he was telling another girl the exact same thing, even though that girl inhabited my body.

"We can't be together without the girl leaving; I would constantly be invading, just being here but not at the same time."

He let out a sigh; the man wasn't even thinking about me at all! His entire being was focused solely on Alana. "What if the girl did disappear? Would you be able to take her body so we could be together again?" My heart broke even more with those words; was he really considering it? Would he give up my life just so he could be with Alana? I wanted to believe that Daniel wouldn't do that, but he said it right in front of me; what was I suppose to do?

Luckily, Arsenio butt in. "Are you kidding me, Davide?" he demanded, "You just told Elena you loved her today! Are you going to give her up so easily for a woman that should have died years ago? Did your words mean nothing? Answer me, Davide! If you truly love Elena as you claim, you will watch your next words, for I swear, if you decide to try and harm her, I will ensure that your death will come first!"

Daniel turned smoldering eyes on Arsenio. "You just want her for yourself," he hissed in a low voice, "You didn't have her, so now you're trying to steal her from me. I can't believe I once considered you my best friend, Emil; you're nothing but a selfish bastard."

Arsenio had enough with that. "What makes you think I'm only thinking of myself?" he growled, "You're the one considering killing your girlfriend, whom you said you loved, for a girl that died years ago and should not exist now. Will you give up Elena's life just so you can fulfill your own desires? I thought you desired her, or perhaps she and I were both wrong on the matter."

Daniel looked away in disgust and turned back to Arsenio. From my point of view, it seemed like he was giving up, but I could be wrong. If someone had asked me today after dinner if I would ever doubt Daniel and his faithfulness to me, I would have slapped them and called them an idiot for even considering it. Now, I wasn't so sure… Man, fate is a bitch for doing this right after he told me he loved me. Does my life suck right now or what?

Daniel leaned closer to Alana, so his eyes were level with her own. "I would do anything to be with you again, Alana. Anything."

With those words, my heart just completely shattered in itself. He'd just admitted that he loved another girl more than me, and always would. What was I to do with that? I felt like my heart was dying, even as tears came to my eyes. I didn't want to cry; didn't want to let anyone see that he had gotten to me, momentarily forgetting the fact that no one could see me but Alana, and all her attention was on Daniel. I closed my eyes as I waited for the sting of tears. And yet, none came. It was one of those times when I wanted to cry, when I thought it would feel better to cry, but I couldn't. Crying was like a way of releasing my pain and sorrow, and yet, it wouldn't come, so I was stuck with it. _"I don't want to hurt,"_ I begged, _"Please, don't let this happen."_

And yet, it was, right in front of my eyes. "Do you mean that?" Alana breathed, leaning up to him. Her eyes were pleading, desperate, but her posture was seductive and flirty.

"Yes," he whispered, leaning down to her. "I would do anything to have you in my arms again, Alana. Anything."

Could he not see that I was suffering? Feel my pain? Could he not see that he was killing me inside? Of course not, because if he could, he would have stopped talking. But he didn't; he just kept right on going.

"Would you kill this body? Have the girl's soul move on to the netherworld? Would you ensure that for me?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in his words, note even the slightest bit. He said it normally, with determination. I saw the determination shine in his eyes, and knew he was committed to doing it. I thought about it, wondering if he actually would should the chance come for him to end my life. Would he reconsider? Or would he actually go through with it? I wanted to believe the former, but I had a feeling I was wrong; it was the latter.

That was enough though; I was done playing little slave. I had heard enough heart-breaking news that night; I didn't need more. I focused on Alana and narrowed my eyes, trying to pull myself back into my own body.

I felt it as I moved towards myself, felt the heaviness in my soul. I heard Alana gasp and reach for Daniel, "No! She wants her body back!"

I knew without a doubt the moment I returned into my own body. The pressure was off my head, but I was tired as hell. The last thing I saw then before the darkness consumed me was Daniel reaching a hand towards me, yelling, "Alana!" Then, the darkness took over my body. I wasn't even sure when I hit the ground.


	11. What Happened?

**Hey guys! I am so so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been dealing with a lot of stress, so I'm afraid I haven't had time to write. Any ways, I hope you enjoy the story! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: What Happened?<strong>

The next thing I remembered, was lying in a soft bed, feeling more tired than I ever remembered. I got up slowly, rubbing my head and groaning. I looked around, wondering what was going on, what happened. Looking back in my memory, I wondered what had happened. I remembered getting home with Daniel, seeing him meet Arsenio, and then a huge heaviness on my soul, but what had happened after that? The last thing I really remembered as Daniel reaching a hand out to me and screaming the word… Alana? Elena? Did he just mix up some letters? Or am I hearing wrong? Or was he really saying Alana? And where the hell was Arsenio in all of that mess?

I shook my head; I needed some answers, and the best place to get them was to go to the sources themselves. Standing, I leaned against my bed, waiting for the dizzy spell to go away before finding a hoodie, zipping it up, and going to find out where I was. I was in a house I didn't know, but walking around, I recognized it as Arsenio's. _Did Daniel and Arsenio take me here while I was sleeping? _

Walking around, I heard angry voices. Curious, I went up to them. Peering inside the room, I found Arsenio and Daniel there, arguing while standing on opposite sides of the room. _What were they talking about?_

"I can't believe you even considered it!" Arsenio was yelling. His face was red with anger and his eyes showed it clearly as well.

"I wasn't thinking properly!" Daniel yelled back, trying to defend himself.

Arsenio scoffed, "Wasn't thinking properly? What is there to think about? Alana should have died years ago, and what do you tell her!" _Alana? What? Alana was dead; how would Daniel talk to her? How does he even know her?_

"I had to watch her die!" Daniel screamed, "I had to watch Alana die, and I loved her! You killed her, Emil! Don't lie and say you didn't! How dare you lecture me!" I could feel my heart break at that statement; he loved Alana? _Wait; was he the best friend Arsenio was talking about before? What's going on damn it!_

I was torn between wanting to show myself to them and hiding myself just so I could hear more. Finally the first one won over, and I stepped out into the doorway. "Daniel. Arsenio."

Arsenio spun around to look at me, eyes wide, as Daniel gaped at me, pale. "What did you hear, Elena?" Arsenio asked slowly.

I was pale and felt sick myself. I ignored his question and moved towards the couch, right between them, and fell into it, hugging myself tightly. For some odd reason, I felt cold, and tired as hell. I was missing too much of my memory; what was going on, damn it?

"Elena, are you all right?" Daniel asked, walking up beside me.

He reached a hand out to me, but stopped when I lashed out, "Don't touch me!" He took his hand back, looking hurt, and I felt horrible. He was only trying to help, and I screamed at him. Man, what kind of girlfriend was I? I held my head between my hands and curled myself into a little ball. "I'm sorry, Daniel; I just don't know what's wrong with me. I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm sick, and I can't remember a single thing. What happened? The last thing I remember is you and Arsenio seeing each other, then this crazy pain in my head and fainting… And what's going on? And how do you know about Alana, Daniel?"

Daniel froze at that, "You know about Alana?"

"I know Arsenio loved her, and I know that she died, but how do you know her, Daniel? Hell, why don't you all just tell me what happened since I fainted?"

"Yes, _Daniel_, why don't you tell your **girlfriend** what happened?" Arsenio hissed, his eyes spewing fire at Daniel.

I glanced at him, "And you, Arsenio, what are you even doing here?"

He gave me a quick glance before his glare landed back on Daniel, "Your parents insisted that Dad and I come for dinner, but when I got here, I found you gone, so I figured I'd stay until you came home before leaving so I could wish you good night. However, when you got home, I found you with **him**."

"What do you have against Daniel, Arrsenio?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Elena? I'm not the one that was about to betray you."

"Betray me?" I gasped, spinning hurt eyes to Daniel, "What is he talking about?"

Daniel was glaring at Arsenio as if he could kill him just with his eyes, "I don't know what he's talking about."

"LIAR!" Arsenio roared, clenching his fists and stepping in front of me, separating me from Daniel, "Tell her the truth, Davide, tell her what she's missing! Tell her what you said to Alana, tell her what you **promised**."

"Who is Davide?" I asked, confused by Arsenio's ferocity. What was going on with him? What was wrong? He'd never been like that before, so why now? What had happened while I'd been out of it?

"I am Davide," Daniel spat through clenched teeth, "Who are you to lecture me, Emil? Unless you're forgetting, **you** are the one that ended Alana's life, not me."

Huh, was Emil Arsenio? What was up with all the false names? Which was the real name? What the damn hell was going on damn it?

"I have every right to lecture you! Just look what happened while Alana was here! Look what you promised her even while knowing you had a girlfriend whom you just told you loved!" What? What did Daniel tell Alana? Hell, how would he even tell Alana anything? Alana was dead for crying out loud!

"I-," Daniel started.

"Stop!" I screamed, rising to my feet. My face showed anger, annoyance, and confusion. "That is enough! Both of you just shut the hell up already!"

"Elena-," Arsenio started.

I glared at him, putting all my anger behind my words so they dripped venom, "I. Said. Shut. Up." He shut up. "Good," I said curtly, before sitting back down, "Now, I want to know what happened, and I want to know now. If you leave anything out, God help me; I will murder you where you stand."

Daniel stared at me, whereas Arsenio just looked pondering, amused, and almost proud. "You're nothing like Alana, Elena," Arsenio said, smiling lightly, "You're so much like her, and yet, not at all."

I raised an eyebrow, "Don't beat around the bush, Arsenio; I want an answer out of both of you."

He kept smiling, his eyes soft and apologetic, "You'll definitely get an answer out of me, that I promise, but your boyfriend I'm not so sure of."

I looked at him, wondering if he was implying what I thought he was implying. I turned on Daniel, "Please tell me what's going on."

He raised an eyebrow at me. His eyes showed me nothing of what he was feeling, and it scared me. I'd never seen him so… cold before. Unconsciously, I shifted away from him and moved towards Arsenio, seeking him. Daniel clearly noticed my motion, and his eyes grew darker, "Why don't you ask Arsenio, Elena? You clearly seem to like him so much."

Arsenio wrapped a protective arm around me, and glared at Daniel while I winced at his hidden accusation and then lashed back, "You're scaring me Daniel!"

He sneered at me, "Very good Elena, you actually understood my intent." I blanched some more, and he moved in on me, "I thought we were getting along great, and then I find you here with this filthy piece of shit." He flung his last words at Arsenio, who just tightened his grip around my shoulders. "What am I suppose to think?"

I almost screamed in frustration; we were getting absolutely nowhere with this! "Damn it Daniel! If you're not going to help me then just get out!" I kneaded my temples slowly, trying to ignore the headache building in my skull. "Please, I just need some answers! I'm not cheating on you with Arsenio, and I have no intention of doing so! Please, you either help me or you don't! If you don't, get out already; at least let Arsenio give me the answers I'm looking for. Please, Daniel."

At the end of my words, I heard a door slam shut. I let out a long breath and looked around the room; Daniel was gone, and with him, part of my heart. Why had he done that? Why had he acted so harsh? He'd never done it before; always been so sweet, so why now? What was going on with him? Did I do something to make him mad? What happened while I was out of it?

I turned to Arsenio with a pleading face. He just stared at me sadly, his eyes apologetic and somewhat tortured. Why was he tortured? What had happened in the time when I had been out of it? I gripped his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around me automatically. If I'd been thinking, and not freaking out, I would have said that the position was very intimate, which it was. He pulled me close to himself and stroked my hair gently, not speaking. For the moment, that was enough; I just needed him to be there with me, to remind me that I wasn't alone in the mess, and that I could trust him.

It hit me in that moment how much I'd grown to trust him in such little time. We'd only known each other for what, a few weeks, and already I'd grown to trust him more than even Chloe and Winsey. I looked up at him, and found his eyes closed, his chin resting on the top of my head. He looked so peaceful I almost felt bad about changing all of that.

I stared up at him, until he sighed and gave up the pretense of sleeping, staring right back into my eyes. "Are you sure about this, Elena?" he asked, as if he could read my mind.

I nodded slightly, small enough that I thought he might not notice, so I spoke as well, "I need to know, Arsenio, please."

He let out a sigh and pulled away, relaxing on the couch and staring off into space. For a few heartbeats, I feared he would not speak, until. "It all started when I first met Alana…"


	12. Reality is Long Gone

**Chapter 12: Reality Is Long Gone**

Arsenio rested his forearms on his thighs, looking down between his legs with his back hunched over and not meeting my eyes. I sat next to him, rigid with anticipation and waited for him to continue with his story.

"The first time I met Alana, I was 15 years old. When I saw her, she was shining so brightly, like a light in utter darkness. It was almost like the time before I saw her was all night, and suddenly, I was thrust into day. She was what I'd imagined an angel to look like…" Why did I feel pain at his words in hearing his utter adoration for this other girl? Why did I feel this pang in my chest, and a wish for him to say it to me instead? It didn't make sense that I would feel that way, considering I loved Daniel… or did I?

I zoned back into the conversation just as he said, "As I told you, I didn't tell my best friend about her. And Daniel, as you call him, is that same guy. Back when I knew him, his name was Davide, and mine was Emil. I ditched my old name was Alana died, and became known as Arsenio. Clearly, Davide did the same. When I found out that Alana had been cheating on me with Davide, I was so angry at both of them, for lying to me. I had no right to be angry at Davide; he didn't know we were dating the same girl either. When I found them together that day… it was like my heart had ripped into two, just by seeing them together." His hands clenched into fists, the veins in his neck throbbed, but he still kept talking. I put my hand on his fist, and he wrapped his long fingers around mine, as if needing me as a lifeline to keep him going.

"I moved towards Davide then, demanding to know why he had lied to me, and why he didn't tell me. He'd seemed as shocked as I was, and asked what I was talking about, said that Alana was his girlfriend, the one he had always told me about. I yelled at him, saying he was a liar, said that Alana was **my** girlfriend. We just kept going like that, back and forth, until Alana stepped between us and said she was dating both of us. We both looked at her as if she had grown a second head. She told us she wanted to be with the both of us, and couldn't bear to choose. She wanted all three of us to be together forever, just sharing her. Neither Davide nor I could bear the idea of her not being with only one of us, and so, we demanded that she choose one of us. She could only have one of us, not both, and we told her that.

"Alana refused to choose between us, so we just kind of glared at each other for a while. I can remember what I said then." His breathing grew haggard, as if he were trying to fight tears. "I can remember exactly what I said, and it kills me that I would have even considered it. I told him, "Neither of us will be happy if we have to share her. So I challenge thee; a fight till one surrenders. The winner will be with her." I told him that, and he hesitated for a moment." His voice grew dreamier, as if in his mind, he had returned to the memory, was seeing it play out before his very eyes again. "He told me he didn't want to fight me, that we should just both break up with her and let her choose which one of us she would come to first. The one she went to first would have her. I told him it didn't work like that, said that we could be together at the moment, and then she would approach both of us at once. Again I told him to fight me. Again he refused. So I just charged at him and threw a hook punch at his jaw. So, we fought, right there in the middle of his backyard. Alana tried to come in between us, tried to make us stop, but every time Davide stepped back, I came after him again, screaming at him to fight me.

"Alana came between us while I was throwing a punch at Davide's chest, but Alana, being shorter than us, got in the middle, and it hit her straight in the neck. I felt her spine break right under my hand, but on the other side, at the same time, Davide had done the same thing. The pressure had been too much for her, and she died." He shook his head, his voice choked with tears, "I couldn't stop it, couldn't save her. I could only watch as she died in Davide's arms and mine. There was nothing else either of us could do for her." He shook his head, the grief on his face so clear and agonizing that I wanted nothing more than to hold him in my arms and comfort him, but I couldn't. There was more to the story; I could sense that much. "So, that started my feud against Davide and his against me. We left town the day after Alana's funeral, going in opposite directions, seeking to rid ourselves of the horror that had been brought down on us. For years, we didn't meet, until tonight that is."

He sighed then, and I suddenly had the feeling that the next words he said would change my life. I waited in anticipation, needing to understand what had happened tonight. He'd explained his history with Daniel, but what had happened tonight still baffled me. I knew he knew, he knew I knew he knew what had happened, and he knew that I would make him answer for it. He released his hand from my grasp and stood, starting to pace, his hands behind his back. He opened his mouth several times, but no sounds came out, so he just shut his mouth and kept pacing, just to do the same thing a few minutes later.

Finally, after almost five minutes of pacing, he stopped and spoke. "I know you've wondered how it is Davide and I could have so much history at such young ages, and why it is that you seem to be losing parts of your memory, and always waking up in a heated moment." He didn't even look at me for confirmation; it was as if he just knew. "I also know that you wonder about my speed, and weird strength, and Davide's as well. You think it's just a part of us being boys, being extremely physically fit, but that's not it; that's not it at all."

He sighed and started pacing again. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't say anymore, and just leave it at that, but then he asked me the weirdest question I'd heard in quite some time. "Elena, do you believe in monsters?"

I was startled by the question. _What's he talking about? Why this all of a sudden?_ Nonetheless, I answered, "What kind of monster do you mean?"

He shrugged, "Werewolves, ghosts, zombies," he paused for a second, "Vampires."

I blinked at him in confusion, "What does this have to do with what happened?" Then, his question really sunk into my brain, "Are you trying to tell me those things exist?" The thought that vampires existed weren't too bad, but werewolves, ghosts and zombies? Hell no. "They exist, don't they? Werewolves, vampires, zombies, all of that crap." Fear bit at me, making my palms start to sweat. The thought of werewolves tearing apart my family and friends scared me to no end, and I started getting hysterical, "They can't! Everyone will die! Please tell me they don't exist! They'll kill everyone! Arsenio, please-."

He shook his head quickly, and clamped a hand down over my mouth, "Elena, be quiet and listen to me," he pleaded, "I'm trying to explain what's going on. Only vampires and werewolves truly exist, but only the vampires are out in public. Werewolves live in the woods in packs, on their own. They'll only hurt you if you get too near them."

Arsenio moved away and kept pacing, looking everywhere except at me. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. Do you remember the first time you lost your memory? It was at my house. I'm going to tell you exactly what happened that day…" And so, he did. He told me how Alana had come and possessed my body in order to speak with him. He didn't know how she had done that, but she had, and he had feared for my life. When he'd asked me what I remembered, it was to gauge how much I knew, and how many questions I would ask. When I hadn't asked anything, he'd be dumbfounded.

"How did Alana even do that? What is she?" I interrupted, tired of the story. Yes, it was completely terrifying to have someone invade my body like, but still, I needed to know how she had even had the power to do that in the first place.

He finally looked up at me and met my eyes. "I asked you a moment ago if you believed in monsters, and then I told you vampires and werewolves existed, though only vampires came out into the open." He took a deep breath. "Alana is a vampire, Elena. I am too. And so is Davide."

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been busy with some other stuff, some stories I haven't posted on here, so yeah. Anyway, I'll try to post another chapter as soon as I can, and really, I'm very, very sorry this one is so short; I couldn't think of much to put on it. I'm considering putting it up for adoption... Ah well, you let me know what I should do. Until then, peace out!<strong>

**Hanieya Okudashu **


	13. A Short History Lesson

**Chapter 13: A Short History Lesson**

I just stared at him for a few moments, my brain not comprehending what I had just heard. Time seemed to have stopped; nothing was working at the normal pace at all. All I felt a disconcerting blank, feeling nothing, seeing nothing, understanding nothing. It was all just nothing to me. All of it.

Finally, I regained enough of my brain to choke out. "What did you just say?"

"Alana, Davide and I are vampires, Elena," Arsenio said again. "Alana was the first of us; she was already two hundred years old when she met Davide and I. I heard that some man had found her beautiful, and so had turned her, but she had been so scared that she ran out on him in the middle of the night. Anyways-."

"Stop," I commanded, holding a hand to my head and looking more than a bit nauseous, "Just stop. I need some time to think; this is all just too sudden." He shut up.

I looked up at the ceiling, anywhere but into his eyes, his dark, sexy brown eyes. My heart was beating… at its normal pace, and weirdly, I felt a sense of calm, though that made no sense whatsoever. I mean, come on! The dude had just damning told me he was a frickin' vampire, and so were my boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend. It wasn't enough that I suspected Arsenio and Daniel had both just taken an interest in me simply because I resembled Alana, and they were stuck in some sort of love triangle, but now it turns out that that same love triangle was transcending time, starting back from over a hundred years ago? What the hell? It was too much for me. It should have been too much for me, I should say actually, and yet, it wasn't! I felt an eerie calmness, and automatically glanced at Arsenio. I didn't understand why, but whenever I was around him, my heart started racing, and I felt the intense need to be his equal, and for the first time ever, I was completely calm in his presence.

"Stop that," I said without thinking.

He gave me a look that told me he thought I was somewhat delusional. "What exactly am I suppose to stop?"

"That, calm thing," I said, waving a hand at him, knowing perfectly well that my words sounded like nonsense. Well, most I'd experienced today was completely nonsense, so this was actually pretty normal… I must've reached a new low for this to be considered normal. _I so need an aspirin after this._ "You're making me feel calm, aren't you? A perk to being a vampire, like Damon in Vampire Diaries-."

He rose up his hands and shook his head rapidly, "No, no, no, I'm not doing anything like that, I swear."

"How do I know that?"

"Elena, for once in your life, just trust me, okay? I swear I am not doing anything, at all. Why do you think I'm making you calm?"

"Because!" I exclaimed, "Because I am calm! I should be head over heels freaked out, feeling like hell is on my heels, think that this must be some sort of heavenly retribution, but I'm not feeling any of that! I'm just completely and utterly calm, and hell bite me in the butt if that makes any sense at all!" By the time I was finished, I was standing screaming in his face, and yet, I was still completely calm. That only served to infuriate me even more.

It was strange, how I was getting worked up about not being worked up. I should have been completely freaking my head off, and yet, I just felt nothing. There was a part of me, a rather small part, mind you, that told me that I had kind of expected it all along, that I had considered the possibility to make up for my lack of memory and Arsenio's and Daniel's combined interest in me, but that didn't make it any less weird.

Arsenio just let me go like, that, pacing, trying to figure out why I wasn't more scared to be cost in some sort of immortal-love triangle crossfire. When I calmed down that part of me, I stopped and stared at nothing, my eyes not really seeing what was before me. It was almost as if my eyes had turned inside out; I saw what was inside my brain rather than what was outside.

Slowly, I went through all he had told me, turning over every single detail in my brain, and felt, a sense of rightness. It felt right now, felt like that was how it should have been all along, that I should have considered the possibility sooner, without him having to tell me. True, it was all completely absurd, but there was a small part of me that told me I had always known; I'd just kept writing it off as crazy. When I came to that conclusion, I sighed and sat back down.

"Elena?" Arsenio asked, his voice telling me he knew how I was feeling already.

"I'm fine," I sighed, "But I'm pretty damn sure I'm going to have a killer headache later, so hurry up and tell me what I don't know."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you don't know how to do calculus, and the way to do that is-."

"Arsenio!" I exclaimed, laughing, "You know what I'm talking about."

He gave me a cheeky grin, and I realized with a start he had just been trying to make me laugh the entire time. With that knowledge suddenly in mind, I blushed a light pink color, giving him a coy smile. "Come on, tell me about you, Daniel and Alana."

He gave me a halfhearted grin and cleared his throat. "Well, for starters, I didn't actually meet Alana when I was 15; I met her when I was 18, the same age at which she turned me. Secondly, I'm roughly 300 years old; long enough to have seen the world change into how it is now. Anyways, my parents introduced me to Alana, and yeah, we did the whole courting thing. Davide had been friends with Alana for a long time, and yeah, they courted quietly. Alana had turned us both without our knowledge, saying to each of us that we would be together for all of eternity.

"When we'd found out about each other, we'd demanded that she choose between us. She told us she wanted to live with both of us for all of eternity, but we didn't allow it. We fought over her, and we discovered powers we'd never had before. Both of us were faster than we'd ever been in life, stronger, and our elegance had been exemplified all in that one battle. We discovered that we'd gotten claws as well. That was how we'd killed Alana; we'd stabbed her through the neck, aimed for the other.

"It's been roughly 150 years since I last heard of Davide's whereabouts. I crossed paths with him once after we'd split up in… China, I think it was, or maybe it was Mongolia. Either way, it was somewhere in Asia. Anyways, we had a rather bad reunion, with the two of us yelling our heads off at each other. We almost killed each other right there in the middle of the town; that was how violent we were.

After that, I didn't see him again for a long time, and I didn't expect to ever see him again either. I had no idea he was here; I was shocked as hell when I found him here, and I was even more surprised when I found him here **with you**."

"Why does it make a difference that it's with me?" I asked curiously.

He pulled a hand down his face, his face growing haggard. "I'll get to that. Anyways, when Alana first turned me, I'd been in my bedchamber. She'd told me she'd come to me that night, and that she would give me something I would never forget. I thought at the time that it meant she'd give me her virginity…" I blushed hard at that part, and looked away, not needing to hear the details of whatever they'd done. However, either Arsenio didn't see my face or he just didn't care.

"When she came to me, I welcomed her into my bed, and she'd straddled my waist…" His eyes grew glassy, remembering that night. His voice was dreamy, as if he were lost in the memory, had completely forgotten where he was and who he was. "Alana had bent and kissed me several times, before pulling out a knife on me. When I'd looked at her in alarm, she'd explained to me what she was. Like you, I expected to be completely freaked out, but there was a part of me that had already suspected, so it wasn't as bad as it might have been."

"How do you get changed into a vampire?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if I wanted to know the answer. I was curious as hell about the entire thing, thirsting to know more about it, but at the same time, the very thought terrified me. What if it just took a kiss? Didn't that mean that I was already a vampire? I hadn't felt the need for blood though; was it just a slow process?

Arsenio must have seen the beginnings of panic on my face, because he quickly said, "To become a vampire, you have to take some of their blood, and then they have to drain you dry. That's what Alana did. She cut herself and told me to drink some of her blood. I was horrified by what she was suggesting, but the love in her eyes had convinced me, and that wasn't even including her sexiness. She'd been wearing a loose, white silk nightgown that barely covered her up to mid-thigh, and with the way she'd been bending over me, I could see her chest just pouring out of that dress." He gave a small laugh then, blushing deeply. "I'd been so turned on it was hilarious; I couldn't say no to her at all. And so, I took her blood.

"Once I was done, she bit me, and drank me until I was dry. It wasn't painful, not really; it was more like a floating feeling; it was just amazing, really. She told me later that I was out for a few hours, that it was normal for all those who turned. Afterwards, she took me hunting. I'd been so hungry by the time we found our prey that I almost drained him dry; I probably would have if Alana hadn't pulled me off him. Anyways, so yeah, that was how I became what I am.

"So, what happened earlier was this: I have no idea how she did it, especially considering she should be dead, but Alana some how came and possessed your body. She used you and talked to Davide and I. She did that the first time you came over to my place as well. Really, I have no idea how she did that; I can't even do it, and I've been alive for quite some time, and I have a good deal of power myself. Maybe it's because you might be a descendant of Alana, maybe the great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of her sister of brother or cousin or something. Besides that, she clearly hasn't controlled anyone else, so that's really the only thing I can think of."

He sighed again and pulled a hand down his face. His eyes seemed uncertain, torn over something, but what that something was, I had no clue. He opened his mouth several times, like he did before, but for the first few times, no sound came out. He swept a hand through his hair again, opening his mouth a few more times. Still nothing came out.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

He wouldn't meet my eyes again, something that was getting a reputation as a sign of him about to say something I didn't want to hear, or something he thought I would think as crazy. "You're not going to believe me," he said finally.

I snorted without thinking. _Wow, that's really attractive, Elena_. "Let me be the judge of that. You've told me a lot of messed up things today; this couldn't possibly be any worse."

He met my eyes evenly. "Then let me remind me of something, Elena; if you regret this later, don't say I didn't warn here. Here's exactly what happened when Alana was possessing you."

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><p><strong>Sorry for the extremely short chapters guys! Hey, for all those who read this, would you mind letting me know if you want a lemon in this or not? I'm trying to decide whether or not to put one, and for the time being, I seriously have no idea. <strong>

**Now then, Arsenio is about to tell Elena what happened between Alana and Daniel! What do you think will happen? What will she say to him? What will she say to _Daniel_? Will she break up with him? Will she just try and forget about it and look past it? All in the next chapter! Stay tuned! **

**Thanks for putting up with that little ad X'D. Until next time!**

**Hanieya Okudashu**


	14. That's A Lie

**Chapter 14: That's A Lie**

I sat at attention, my body tense with anticipation as I waited for him to speak. There was something weird about my posture that while I didn't exactly care about, I didn't understand. Sure, I was hugely curious about what had happened, that would explain all the tenseness, but why was my pulse pounding in my ears? Why was my heart hardening itself? That second part baffled me.

The only thing I could think of was that it would have something to do with Daniel, but what could he have done? He was the perfect boyfriend; surely he had done nothing wrong? He'd even told me he loved me today, so I was just paranoid, right? Why then, was my heart pounding so hard in my chest? Why was I so worried? Why was I so **scared**?

Scratching my memory, I thought about what I had heard when I'd woken up. Arsenio had accused Daniel of something, right? Something about betraying me? Arsenio has told me that Daniel had promised Alana something while she'd possessed me? What had he promised her that had made him treat me the way he did, made Arsenio explode at him so violently? Ugh, all the questions were giving me a headache.

Arsenio was obviously waiting for my full attention to be on him before he started. I turned my eyes on him and gave him a nod, a silent prodding for him to begin his tale. "Then this is what happened," he said, "and I would truly appreciate it if you would let me explain before you said anything." When I gave him a nod, he let out a huge breath of air, and then started to speak.

"Alana came in and possessed you, as you know. The first time she possessed you, back when you first came over to my house, she took over you and blamed me for your death. She told me that she could only control you because you shared some special bond, as I told you earlier. That visit was rather short compared to the second one; somehow you managed to snatch your body back sooner that time, maybe because you weren't so emotionally conflicted.

"So, the second time… well, the second time, Alana kind of forced us apart with some of that magic of hers. She kept me from getting to both you and Davide, and just spoke with Davide. Davide… at first, Davide could not tell who she was, what was wrong with her, and Alana was showing a lot of your chest through that dress from what I could see, so that clearly added some extra distraction for him.

"Anyways, she talked to him, seduced him, you could say, and, well, when he finally understood what was going on, he told her he loved her, and that he still wanted to be with her. Alana explained to him that the two of them could never be in this world while you were alive, because she had no body to inhabit except for the brief times when she could take over your body. Davide begged, pleaded with her, said there was no way anything could keep a love as strong as theirs apart, said there had to be a way for them to be together. Alana then told him that if he wanted to be with her, either he could kill himself, and they could be together for eternity in hell, or wherever she had gone after death, or, he could kill you, and Alana would take over your body just as your spirit left your body."

He paused there, and that alone was enough to make me realize what he was about to say. I was about to speak – wait, no, speak isn't the right word. **Explode** is more like it. No matter what Arsenio said, I refused to believe that Daniel would ever even **think** about betraying me on such a level.

Clearly, Arsenio saw the intention in my eyes, because he spoke over me quickly, "No, Elena, please, let me finish; I need to get it all out now, or I never will." The agonizing expression on his face made me stop in my tracks. The pain in his eyes tore at my heart, and suddenly, I knew, with sudden clarity, that he just didn't want to hurt me; had never wanted to hurt me, but the next words he said would.

Closing my eyes, I braced myself and bid him to go on. "Davide… Davide promised Alana that he would kill you in order to get her back."

Perhaps I blacked out for a minute there; I didn't really know. All I felt inside myself was a huge hole where my heart once was. It was all just… nothing. Nothing at all. It was as if all that had once made me was gone gone gone. It was just horrible. I could have been dead, and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. Everything was just gone; my heart was gone, my soul was gone. Everything, completely **everything**, was gone into the dust.

After a while, I just came to a simple solution. In times like these, when you were just completely dying inside, just on the words of one single man, there was really only one thing to do, was there not? "That's a lie."

He left out a long breath, as if he'd been expecting to hear that. His words echoed that assumption, "I knew you'd say that," he said quietly, rubbing small circles in his temples.

"Of course I would say that!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "You expect me to believe that my own boyfriend, who just gave me a necklace that had the words 'I love you' engraved on it, would try to kill me? Are you mad?"

He perked up at my mention of the necklace, and his gaze instantly fell to my neckline where the little gold necklace lay. "He gave you that?" he asked softly.

I nodded tersely, and he let out a long breath. "Forgive me for my next words, but a part of me believes that he gave you that necklace because he wants you to use you as a substitute for Alana." I opened my mouth to say something, to defend Daniel, but he cut across me once more. "No, listen to me, Elena. Your looks are undeniably similar to Alana's; some may even call you twins had you lived in the same era. Your personality can be like hers, but at the same time, not. She was a shy, timid creature that feared the world that she did not know. Once she knew it though, and she knew it was wonderful, she was always determined to take it for her own, but unlike you, she used underhand means to get what she wanted, such as blackmail, or threats. She never did the work on her own; she always had help, from either Davide or myself."

When I gave him a reproachful look, he held up his hands to defend himself. "Hey, my excuse is that I was in love with the girl." He scowled, "at least I admit it freely though; if asked, by any other than me or Alana, he will still say that he loves you more."

"Of course he loves me more! He's my boyfriend!" I spat.

Arsenio turned his glare on me, "Can you honestly say to my face, knowing everything that I've told you, that you don't suspect it might be true? Is your faith in your boyfriend that great? If so, you truly are naïve, Elena, far more than I thought you were. The moment I got to know you, I knew you were different from Alana. You had this fiery temper that drew everyone to you. You were honest when you wanted something, worked hard to get it by your own power so you felt you actually deserved it. Compared to her, you were, are, a tigress to her kitten. You are both mirror images of each other, but you are undoubtedly different."

When he finished his spew, I was stunned; I hadn't known he'd paid that much attention to me. All that time I'd been with him, he'd been studying me, looking for differences, similarities, and ultimately loving both of us. And how did I know he loved me? Well, I didn't, but the look in his eyes at that moment couldn't have been described as anything else. Perhaps it was just in the heat of the moment, but right then, I felt my heart begin to beat again, and not for Daniel.

Then, I understood. He had said that, all of that, to distract me from what he had been talking about before. True, it may have had good intentions, to spare me the pain of having to question my trust in Daniel, and he may have meant every word of it, but still, that didn't piss me off any less. "Stop getting off topic," I snapped.

"Do you have any proof that Daniel said that to Alana? For all I know, you could just be making it up to spite Daniel, because Alana blamed you for her death instead of you."

His eyes flashed with disbelief, and then darkened to a black in his fury. "You dare, you dare accuse me? And of such a heinous crime?" he asked. His voice clearly told me he was doing his best to hold back his anger, even though I could still hear it there in the background.

All I did was straighten my back and glare at him as a response.

He stood and towered over me, posing an intimidating structure. For a moment, I wavered under the anger in his eyes and face, but then I knew that if I didn't stand my ground then, no one would ever be able to respect me as a person. So, I just put on as defiant a face as could, ignoring the fear pounding through my veins.

"You overstep your bounds, my lady," he said softly. His voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it was the coldness, the raw fury behind it, that scared the crap out of me. "You dare accuse me of simply saying those things in order to spite a man that while I once had a grudge against, I have long forgiven? Do you truly believe I would say such horrid things merely for the sake of hurting him, even while I knew it would tear you apart as well? Do you truly think so lowly of me, Elena?"

He had a point, but my pride would not let me fall. "It's been centuries, yes, but how do I know you do not still hate Daniel for stealing your fiancé?" I asked evenly. "I have every right to think as I do; you cannot blame me for questioning your intentions when I know of your shared history."

That only seemed to anger him more. "You forget though, that I did not know of his presence here until this night. Had I wanted to hurt him, I would have seduced you from the start and made sure you fell in love with me so he could not have you."

"But you could have made that up on the spot just to hurt him, make me doubt him."

"Have I ever truly lied to you, Elena?" he asked, tilting his head. "True, at the beginning, I acted as someone I was not, but that was only to protect you. If I thought it best for you, I would have kept this secret as well, but doing so would only leave you open to him should he actually attempt to carry it out. Who do you trust more, Elena? I am the one that explained things to you, I am the one who has tried to protect you, and I certainly am **not** the one who promised to kill you."

Again, he had a point. Even so, my love for Daniel, combined with my firm belief that nothing so horrible could come out of such perfect a man, refused to believe any of what he said. I stood and walked backwards towards the door. "No matter what you say, Arsenio, Emil, whoever you are, I will not believe you. No matter what horrible things you say about him, no matter how many facts you throw in my face, I will not believe you. Not until I have solid proof. And until then, don't even bother coming to find me."

With those words, I turned and fled, leaving a small piece of my heart behind with Arsenio's anguished face.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Thanks for all your support; love the reviews you gave me. <strong>

**Well then, Elena's heard what happened between the century old love triangle, and Arsenio's told her what Daniel promised, and yet, she just takes it all in denial! What will she do now? Will she believe Arsenio, even though she doesn't want to and start to slowly question Daniel? Or will she just completely block it all out of her mind and continue loving him, even with a risk to her own life? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Wow I sound like a dang commercial after school special, don't I? Anyway, one last thing. For my dedicated fans, who I will love forever, if you want to know what song I was thinking of when I wrote this, look up 'Without Words' by Park Shin Hye. It's kpop, so if you don't like Korean songs, don't listen to it. It's a pretty rockin' song, I love it, and if you decide to listen to it, I hope you will too. **

**Well, that's it from me today. See you all next time!**

**Hanieya Okudashu. **


	15. I Love You

**Hey guys, sorry I have not updated in a while, but I have been rather busy dealing with things, and it has cost me a good deal of time. I am very thankful to all of those who have stuck by me and offered me encouragement, and I promise you, you guys are the only thing that keep me going. So, to show you my thanks, I have gone and made an extra long chapter. I am very sorry it took so long to get here, but I promise I will attempt to get the next one up soon, just give me like, a week or so. Thanks to all of you for sticking by me, and I hope you enjoy this next part of Elena's journey.  
><strong>

**~Hanieya Okudashu**

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: I Love You<strong>

The next days were quiet for me; I avoided all human contact like the plague, content to just stay in my room thinking over what had happened at Arsenio's over and over again, analyzing, well, just about everything. My brain turned over everything both of them said, trying to find some hidden meaning in them. However, like I just said, the meanings were hidden, thereby making it virtually impossible for me to find them.

On Monday, a fed-up mother forced me out of bed, even though I wanted to plead off sick. Yeah, knowing her? No such luck. Ever. She'd called my name through the door for about 2 minutes before taking drastic action. I'd actually heard her sigh before she opened the door and came barging in. She walked straight over to the curtains and dragged them open, causing me to tug my blanket over my head in annoyance. After that, she'd tugged my blankets off, and guess what? She poured ice water on my head.

I screamed and looked at her in disbelief. "Really?" I demanded, scowling. "First you barge into my room, then open the curtains, then take away my warmth, and then you pour ice water on me? Really? Was all of that seriously necessary?"

She just smiled, twirling the handle of the cup around her left index finger. "Get up and dressed, Elena; you have ten minutes before we leave."

She left a very, very disgruntled me to head into the shower and quickly wash myself clean and go through the morning routine before heading down to breakfast. When I got down there, I just quickly grabbed a piece of toast before heading out to the car to meet my mom.

All along the drive, I just dreaded what I was about to face. Today was my day to see Daniel again, to prove to myself that Arsenio was wrong, that Daniel really did love me, not Alana. Part of me believed his words, wasn't dumb enough to believe he'd make something this big over a little petty grudge, but the other part of me, the extremely prideful part, refused to listen to him, needing proof that of his words. Arsenio was right; he'd only ever lied to me before than when he'd thought he was protecting me, but really, this was too big to just go on his word for.

When I arrived at school, the first thing I saw was Daniel holding a rose as the entrance, twirling it while his eyes rapidly scanned the approaching cars. When he saw me, he gave me a smile and held up the rose. "It seems that someone is waiting for you," my mom teased, seeing Daniel. My parents had remembered nothing about what had happened between Daniel, Arsenio and I; they seemed to think that Daniel had just left me at the door without coming in at all, and Arsenio and his dad had left after getting too bored to wait. Come to think of it, who was Arsenio's dad? Was he a vampire as well? "Aren't you glad I made you get up?" my mom's voice continued, breaking through my thoughts.

I forced a smile for her sake, hoping it was real, and gave a fake cheery nod. "Totally, Mom. Thanks! See you after school!"

I raced out of the door before she could say anything else and went to meet Daniel. He swept me up into his arms and swung me around in a circle the moment he saw me, and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. "How are you feeling today, my lovely darling?" he whispered in my ear as he put me down.

"Much better," I said, trying to keep the cheerfulness in my voice.

However, he must have seen something hidden in my eyes, the haunted look I'd tried to hide from everyone for days, because he asked me, "What's wrong, are you alright?"

When I looked away, trying to find an answer, he asked me desperately, "Are you mad about what I said at your place to Em- er, Arsenio? I'm so sorry I was being mean, but I saw you with him, and you were acting so friendly, that I just exploded! I'm sure he told you about what happened between us with Alana, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just… when I first saw you, I thought God was giving me the hope I hadn't seen for years, and had given Alana back to me."

It hurt me to hear him talk about his lost love like this, especially when I still wanted to believe he loved me only for me, not because I looked like Alana. Even so, with the way he was going… it seemed like perhaps he had only used me for our similarities. I felt tears building up in my eyes, and Daniel must have seen it as well, because he quickly said, "But that was only at first! I was watching you for so long, just waiting, trying to see if you really were Alana, but then I found this new girl, this amazing person. You were nothing like her, except in looks, but there was a power about you, how you lived life to the fullest and the way you took on everything with a straight face."

His words stole my breath; I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about any of that. What was there that I could say to him then? After hearing all of that, I didn't have the heart to demand if he really was just using me as a substitute for Alana; his words had proved as much. Even so, I couldn't help thinking back to the time when Arsenio had called me naïve; had he been right in doing so? He was right in the fact that I had unlimited faith in Daniel, and I realized that I did have to change that, especially if I didn't want to get hurt. It was so hard though! Especially after hearing all that he'd just said…

"Daniel," I said softly, "I know your name used to be Davide, and I know what you are."

He froze for a moment, before trying – unsuccessfully mind you – to force up a confused smile. "What are you talking about?"

I moved closer to him, close enough that it would look like we were embracing when really I was just talking in his ear. "Arsenio told me what you, him and Alana are. Vampires, is it? I'd quite like not to believe in, but I need solid proof for it. If you can show me that it isn't true, I'll believe you. However, Arsenio was right; he offers me answers, you never have. I need answers now, especially when Arsenio told me you promised Alana that you would kill me. Prove to me that I can trust, I want to love you so much, but if you can't do this little thing for me, I can't, okay?"

I took a step back after that in order to correctly judge his reaction. His face was completely masked in shock; his mouth was hanging open, his eyes huge. It would have been hilarious if not for the seriousness of the situation. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, then asked me, "Do you trust Arsenio more than me?"

Studying him, I struggled to find the words to answer his question. I wasn't even sure if I trusted him or Arsenio more; Arsenio offered me answers, but he'd lied to me while I had no proof that Daniel ever had. "I don't know," I said finally, "Like I said, he offers me answers, but you've never given me reason to distrust you, not until now."

"How have I given you a reason to distrust me?" he demanded, "I've only ever been faithful to you!"

"Then tell me what happened when you came over!" I shouted, my temper finally breaking. I'd tried to be as patient as I could, held in the fire they had all told me I had so I could get answers the civilized way, but I was tired of playing nice girl; I needed someone to answer my questions and I needed it now.

"Would you believe me even if I did?" he retorted, "You already have it set in your mind that your Italian is correct! Would it even matter if I told you my side?!"

"Of course it would!" I snapped, furious that he would even consider that I wouldn't, "You're my boyfriend; he's not! Of course I would listen! You're not even trying and you're already giving up!"

He ran a hand through his hair, his face pinched tight with frustration and grief. "Then what would you have me say?" he snapped, "You place so much trust in E- Arsenio, do you even have time to listen to my side of the story?" He turned to face me, his eyes dark with anger, and some other emotion I couldn't identify, "Tell me right now, Elena, do you believe him more than me? Because if you do, we're done."

His last words stunned me into silence. I just stared at him in shock, my entire system suddenly shutting down. Had I heard wrong? Or was he asking me to choose between the answers I craved and his love? This… this couldn't be happening. "You can't be serious," I whispered. The part of me that wasn't focused on all the drama of the moment dully noted that everybody was staring at us, but I didn't care. "You told me just last night that you loved me!" I cried, "How can you possibly get over that so quickly?! Do I mean so little to you that it's possible to throw me away the moment I want to trust somebody else?!"

"That's the whole point!" he yelled right back at me. Even his face was getting red in his passion. "I want to trust you, but I refuse to be with someone who's only going to end up breaking my heart!"

"What's so wrong about me trusting somebody else?!" I all but shrieked. What was wrong with Daniel? Why was he acting so weirdly? He was usually so loving and sweet… who was this monster that had taken his place? "I never said I'd stop loving you! Are you going to give me up so easily just because someone else will give me answers when you won't?!"

"Those answers are going to be the death of you!" he roared at me, "You're so damn nosy! All the time! Have you ever considered the fact that the reason you don't know about them is because they're dangerous?! Do you think I'm not trying to protect you from the one person that can put you in more danger than anybody else in this hell of a world?! But no! All you do is keep running right at him without thought of any consequences, either to you or to anybody else! Are you so stupid as to not realize that if you keep going with him you're going to end up dead?! Think a little, Elena! Don't act like such a child!"

I stared at him, my eyes unwavering, as he finished his speech. I could feel the tears rising up in me, could feel them threatening to spill. With a forced smirk, I asked softly, my voice shaking just a bit, "Is that what you think of me? A nosy, stupid little kid? It's good to know that's what you're really feeling, Daniel; I guess you and Arsenio aren't really that different are you? You both think I'm just some spoiled little kid that has no idea what she's getting into, but need I remind you? The two of you are the ones that pulled me into this reality in the first place."

Daniel was panting, his eyes dark with anger. However, I saw a flicker in them, just a flicker, making me think that perhaps there was still some of my own Daniel in there. Then, there was nothing on his face but absolute stun. He reached a hand out for me, "Elena," but I took a step back, away from him.

"All I've ever wanted from you," I said quietly, "was for you to prove to me that you loved me simply as me, and not because I looked like Alana, and you can't even do that for me."

"Elena, please," he begged, taking a step closer to me, a hand reached out in desperation.

"Prove it to me," I whispered, "Until then, I don't want to hear from you." With those words, I turned on my heel and fled into the school.

That day, my friends followed me home, badgering me non-stop with questions. Most of me wanted to turn on them and yell at them at the top of my lungs to shut the hell up already, but a small part of me knew that I had to indulge them, or they would probably just call later, and text non-stop until they got what they wanted. Oh man, I wanted them to go away so much!

At last, when I couldn't take it anymore, I lied and told them I was just going home to change; I was actually going out to run for a while. Chloe, knowing I just needed to be alone, decided to be a good friend – for once - and convinced everyone to leave, throwing a knowing smile over her shoulder at me. In return, I made a small heart with my fingers and winked. She smiled, then held her hand in a phone shape to her ear, the universal symbol for 'call me'.

Now, I really, really wanted to not promise and then pretend I forgot, but I also knew that if I didn't do it, Chloe would hunt me down later and force the details out of me. Because of that, I sighed and nodded, giving her a thumbs-up. She laughed and walked away with the rest of our friends, leaving me alone at last.

I walked the rest of the way home on my own, relishing the time to myself. I'd barely had anytime at all to think over the last few days; it'd been so busy. I was being swamped by Daniel, frustrated over Arsenio, my friends would not leave me alone for one damn second, and my school work was piling up on me. I didn't mind Daniel, and I was still trying to figure out what was going on with Arsenio, so that didn't really matter either, since I was the one that kept insisting on talking to him, and well, I couldn't really help the homework thing. So, I would control the one thing I had any control over: my friends.

When I got home, I didn't even bother looking at who was in the house; I just went up to my room and crashed. That day was the first time, in a very, very long time, that I had really noticed my room, the splashes of color, the way my things were organized, everything. Slowly, I took inventory of what was there, starting from my ceiling down. There were my glow-in-the-dark stars; I'd glued those on my ceiling against my Dad when I'd been 8 years old. He'd bought them for me, but he had intended for me to place them on the opposite wall. Even now I thought I made the right choice to place them on the ceiling, despite the 2-week grounding he gave me for disobeying him.

Next came my redwood drawer. The red of the wood still gleamed, after all the years I'd had it. I didn't realize it until now, but now that I saw it, I knew that it was still in marvelous shape, and I loved it. My dad told me he'd bought that for me when I was 1 year old, because since I was a girl, and he'd been raised with 2 sisters, he knew I'd have a lot of clothes.

My polished wooden desk came next. I'd spent so many days just sitting there doing homework, listening to music, talking to my friends on Facebook on my laptop, everything. That desk had never once failed me, and was still perfect even after all these years. It never protested, no matter how much stuff I piled on it, no matter how many stinky clothes I threw on it. That desk was amazing to me.

Then came my bookshelf, my treasured bookshelf. I was always aware of it, but I never fully appreciated it, even once. I had all my books there; all the books I'd accumulated over the years. There were the Franklin stories I'd had as a kid, the Disney Princesses, the Spot books; all the books form my childhood. After that came the books I'd read when I was a pre-teen: Harry Potter, Narnia, Redwall, Bloodwing; all of it. And finally came the books I read now: Vampire Academy, the Iron Fae, Fallen, Strange Angels, manga; all of that was here on my shelf. I read those books on a regular basis, examining each one and amusing myself by creating stories up for them, away from their plots. All that time, that bookshelf had never once collapsed; despite all the books I threw on it constantly.

After that came my bed, my lovely, lovely bed. It was my best friend in this room to be honest, and I do not say that lightly. All my stuffed animals were there, from the smallest teddy bear I'd gotten at the fair, to the one Winsey had given me years ago for my 8th birthday, to the first stuffed princess doll my mom had gotten for me when I was 3. I loved them all so much, and my blanket, my wonderful blanket. It was so warm, so toasty; I spent afternoons hiding under there just listening to music or gossiping with my friends. My bed was so soft, like it was made of clouds; I loved it so much. And my pillow…my pillow was stuffed with swan feathers, smelled like lilac and comfortable as hell times two.

I knew I took everything in my room for granted, I always had; it was human nature. However, I swore I never would again; there were too many things to be grateful for. I wasn't exactly sure why I was thinking like this; hell, I wasn't sure why I even chose today to pay attention to anything, since I'd been completely dozing in class. Perhaps it was the fact that this room knew all my secrets, knew everything about me, or perhaps it was because I had a huge foreboding cloud hanging over my head. There was a part of me, a rather large part now that I examine it properly, that knew something bad was going to happen to me. I sensed it coming; I knew it would be soon, but the fact that annoyed me about that, was that I did not damning know what was going to happen.

I just closed my eyes, content to just lie in my bed once I was finished thinking all of that. I had in mind to sleep for a few hours, and then maybe pull an all-nighter to get my work done. Perhaps that was the smartest thing to do now, and my body for one, definitely agreed with me. But nope; something hated me, and it made sure I would not get even a moment of comfort.

"I don't mean to be a drag, but do you just plan on ignoring me for my entire visit?" a sarcastic voice drawled.

My eyes snapped open to see Arsenio leaning against my doorframe, his arms crossed. My breath caught in my throat the moment I saw him; he was so sexy. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, tight black tee shirt that showed off his muscles, black jeans, and motorcycle boots. Put together with his black hair and golden skin, he looked very, very handsome indeed. I blushed when I thought that; it wasn't right! I already had a boyfriend!

"Well?" he prompted, "First I'm ignored and then I don't even get a proper greeting?" Whoa, dude was being bossy today, wasn't he?

I arranged my features, a scowl appearing on my lips and a glare in my eyes, "What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you anymore." Okay, maybe I'm twisting the events a bit too much.

He raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking the same thing. "Forgive me for correcting you, my lady, but I don't recall being the one that fled after insulting the person that saved her life."

I grew indignant at his insult, and it made me speak rather rashly. "Is your only purpose in this life to belittle me?" Ah hell, why am I speaking like this again?

Again, I felt that all consuming old power. But this time I feared it more than the last; I was scared of it controlling my body again. I tried to push it away, but it pushed back. Vaguely, I heard Arsenio make some snide comment, but I was too busy trying to keep a hold of my body to pay any attention. I curled in on myself, cradling my chest and trying to ignore the pulling I felt inside my body. It was like that thing, was trying to get to me!

I felt a set of hands hold my head and try to move me. I cried out against it, tried to shake him off, but Arsenio was relentless. He made me look at him, and I think he saw the raw pain in my face. That thing, Alana, whatever it was, was tugging at my soul, trying to pull me out of my body. Trust me, even though it doesn't sound very bad, it was so painful! I tipped my head back and cried out my discontent, using all my will power to battle the force. Despite all my efforts, it was getting into me, slowly, slowly. I knew without a doubt that unless I did something soon, she would get me.

I was forced to look into Arsenio's eyes again, but this time he held my gaze and looked right into my eyes, his gaze intense. He didn't speak; he just stared at me. After a moment, he pulled away, his mouth open in stunned comprehension. After a small pause, he grabbed my shoulders and yelled into my ear. "Don't give into it!" he shouted, "Elena, love, listen to me! Do not give into her!" Her? Did he mean Alana? And what did he call me? Was that 'love'? Why would he say that?

Even though my body was screaming obscenities at me, I forced my mouth open, "I… can't… do it!"

He took my face between his hands and looked deep into my eyes, "Elena! You're stronger than her! It doesn't matter what she is; your spirit, your fiery, beautiful, **powerful** spirit is a hundred times stronger than her! Believe me! You can defeat her! And you will!"

I wanted to say I was sorry, that I couldn't do it, but then he did something that shocked me to no end: he kissed me. My eyes, which had been previously been closed tightly in an attempt to internalize my pain, snapped open as his lips met my own. And, oh, my goodness, in the deepest, darkest part of my brain, the part of me that had been disloyal to Daniel, had never even been able to imagine it being this amazing. Sparks tingled through my body, brought back a feeling that was not the all-consuming power that threatened to take over my being.

Slowly, the kiss consumed me, heating up every single part of my body in ways Daniel's kisses had never done. With the heat that came, the darkness faded, brining me back to myself. I pressed into the kiss hungrily, partly because it chased away the thing that wanted to take a hold of me, and partly because… well, it was just flat out amazing.

His lips were soft, much like butter, no matter how cliché that is. They pressed into me urgently, yet gently, wanting to take his time, as if to caress my own. From the deepest parts of my throat, I made a low moan, a sound I thought I couldn't even make. It would have astounded me, if not for the fact that he had made a low growl in return. The very sound of it made my heart beat even faster than it already was, making me want even more of him.

By then, all traces of the darkness had fled my body, but I didn't even give a damn, the only thing I could think of, was that Arsenio was there, and he was kissing me and holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Finally, I broke apart for air, staring deep into his eyes, my chest heaving and my cheeks scarlet. His eyes were wild, a mirror reflection of my own, I was sure, but they were still dark with need. I hadn't even noticed it, but I had somehow ended up in his lap. But still, I didn't care. All I wanted, was more of him. Stretching up again, I searched for his lips, but he kept leaning his forehead against mine, gazing into my eyes.

"Elena," he said hoarsely, his voice breaking with his desire, "I don't want to hurt you, and you'll probably end up regretting this later, but please, I need you to know."

"What is it?" I whispered. My voice was like I had never heard before; low, husky… seductive. It was like a different me, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"I love you," he whispered desperately, "I've loved you for so long; I love your fiery temper, your spirit, your absolute desire to be who you are and no one else, and most of all, I love **you**."

My breath caught in my throat, but I didn't say anything. What was I suppose to say? I didn't know if I loved him; I certainly wanted him at the moment, and I trusted him to give me answers and to watch over me, but a love? I had no idea really… When I opened my mouth to speak however, he placed a finger over my lips. "It doesn't mater if you can't say it back to me," he whispered, "I just wanted you to know, that if nothing else."

I nodded, and opened my mouth again. What came out of it, I did not plan, but what I said should have been shocking, but was not really. "I love you too," I whispered, "Simply because you are you."

Leaning down with a small smile, he moved to kiss me again, but we were interrupted, and this time, the voice jarred me to the very core of my being. "Well," a sneer interrupted us, "Isn't this precious? To see my current girlfriend, and the man that killed my previous girlfriend together in a compromising situation. I would say I was surprised, but from the moment I knew Elena was friends with you, Emil, I knew she was a dirty slut."

Whipping my head around, my motion was identical to Arsenio's, both of us gazing wide-eyed at Daniel, who stood leaning against the doorway, a scowl on his face, his eyes bright with betrayal and pure loathing, directed at both of us. He tilted his head, his eyes taking on a cold quality I had never seen on his face, even when I hadn't known him. This was new for me, and I was scared. "This shouldn't surprise me, but it does; I thought you were different, Elena, but I should have known you would break my heart again; why did you think I didn't give you any answers? You didn't deserve them."

With those heartbreaking words, he turned on his heel and strode away with purposeful steps. My heart had stopped beating, and for a moment, I was simply stunned; I couldn't even begin to imagine what my face looked like. Finally, I snapped out of it and bolted to my feet, staring after Daniel's retreating form. "Daniel! Wait!" I called, starting after him. If he heard me, he did not act like it, for there was no expression, no change at all.

"Daniel!" I screamed, beginning to run. I was stopped by a strong hand grabbing my wrist; "What?!" I snapped at Arsenio, my stun changing to impatience, "I need to go after him!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes full of regret and guilt, "but there's nothing more you can do for him; he will not listen to reason."

"What do you know?" I demanded, "You're the one who caused this in the first place!" Turning, I tugged my hand out of his grasp and raced after Daniel. I searched through the building, screaming for him, but he was nowhere to be found. He was gone. Just like I was gone from his heart. I fell to my knees, my shoulders quaking with silent sobs, "Daniel, I am so, so sorry…"


	16. Torn

**Hey guys. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have honestly been so busy recently, and I really had to do a lot of editing on this piece, but to make up for it, this chapter is extra long and more than a bit antsy! I hope you all enjoy, and I will try to update within the next two weeks. I realize that even though I said that last time, I didn't update for several months, but this time, I really will put in an effort. Hope you enjoy the story, thanks to all of you who have chosen to follow this story, I'm dreadfully sorry for the long wait, and I hope you send in reviews; they really do help me very much, and it's always nice to hear how I'm doing. Enjoy!**

**~ Hanieya Okudashu**

**P.S: If you enjoy action, I encourage you all to look at my new story Return. Until next time!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Torn<strong>

My heart was breaking into little pieces. Completely and utterly. On one hand, I wanted to run back into Arsenio's arms and kiss him some more, but the greater part of me wanted to run back to Daniel and beg him to forgive me. When I finally accepted that he was gone, I gave up and went back home, dragging my feet behind me, looking exactly like one who was dead to the world, because that was what I basically was: how was I to live when I'd just broken the heart of the best man I'd ever known? When I got home, I ignored everything, ignored Arsenio's worried look, ignored my parents asking me if I was okay; I just dragged myself back into my room and closed the door behind myself.

Once I was in there, I fell to my knees and started crying my eyes out. It felt like my heart was tearing itself into little pieces, half the pieces going over to Daniel's side, and half the pieces over to Arsenio's. Why had I said that? Why had I said that I loved him? I knew without a doubt now that I did now, and I always had from the moment I found out his feminine act had been exactly that, an act. I'd tried to deny it, pretend to be just friends, deny my attraction to him, but all the time I'd spent with him hadn't served to make me fall out of love with him, but it just made me love him all the more.

Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes, the tears flowing out freely as my mind fought its own personal battle. Daniel or Arsenio? I loved them both, without a single doubt, I loved both of them to the very depths of my heart, but who was it that my heart yearned for more? Daniel was an amazing man; sweet, funny, intelligent, active, and just all around gorgeous; he should have been the obvious choice for me… and yet… my heart longed for Arsenio as well, in all his sarcastic comments, wit, treatment of me as an equal rather than something fragile and priceless, and if I wasn't lying to myself, I loved him in all his fallen angel glory; it attracted me like nothing else. My brain knew Daniel was good for me, and I loved him dearly, and yet… Arsenio as well… his entire being drew me towards him in an irresistible wave, calling to me, demanding my presence be with his own.

I decided then that I couldn't do this now; my brain was too clogged up to do any real thinking. So the next best thing: sleep. Or at least that'd what I'd intended. The last things I saw before my brain fell away from me were both their faces in their full glory.

My dreams that night were plagued by horror and desolation, a tirade of fear and agony. And I couldn't escape it.

_I woke to a forest; a dead forest. I'd never seen something so terrifying before, but strangely enough, my person felt no fear as I walked through the forest in, what was that, a snow-white satin gown. The material clung to the alabaster skin I never had in reality and rippled down to the forest ground in soft waves, swishing around my feet. _

_ As I walked, I observed my surroundings; it was horrible to see such a dead place; the trees had lost all their leaves and everything was dry and gray. It was terrifying, and yet, still my person felt no fear. My bare feet crunched over the dead grass at my feet, and my hair drifted around behind me on a nonexistent breeze. 'What is this place? Is this hell? Is this what it's like to be forever alone? Is this what the eternal fiery pits is like? It isn't anything like I imagined, but at the same time, it's still such a horrifying place…'_

_ Finally, my feet took me to a little glade, where there was a little pond. Moving closer, I noticed there were things floating in it. What were those… oh Lord, oh my goodness sakes. Bile rose in my throat at the sight of the slaughtered fish, floating at the surface of the water with their bellies up. I backed away from it slowly, horrified. 'What is this place?!' my mind cried, 'Who would kill these fish senselessly for no reason!?' If this was hell, this was by far worse than anything I'd ever imagined!_

_ Suddenly, strong hands grabbed my upper arms. Stifling a gasp, I turned in the grip, to meet dark brown eyes, eyes that were much like delicious melted chocolate. "Arsenio," I breathed as I stepped closer to him. _

_ Said man chuckled softly and took my hand, placing a small kiss on my knuckles, "Please, my beautiful Alana, my name is Emil," he breathed softly. How fitting it was that while Arsenio wore all black, Daniel wore all white. The demon and the angel; the darkness and the light: exactly what they were to me._

_ My breath caught at the name: Alana. I moved further away from him, "I'm not who you think I am," I said evenly._

_ Large hands took hold of mine from behind and spun me around to meet a set of ice blue eyes, "Of course you aren't; you're nothing compared to my lovely, darling Alana," Daniel said amusedly, spinning me around in a large circle._

_ "Let go of me, Daniel!" I cried, "What's wrong with you two?!"_

_ "Oh Alana, my sweet, my love, my life, don't you know? My name is Davide, not this Daniel of which you speak; you certainly knew my name last time while I caressed your body," Daniel winked, spinning me back towards Arsenio._

_ "Stop this!" I demanded as Arsenio took hold of my hands and twirled me and dipped me once, placing a small kiss right there upon my cleavage. I gasped at the sensation, but I refused to be seduced by it; I had to know what was going on!_

_ I tried to tug away from Arsenio's grip, but suddenly, Daniel was behind me as well, holding onto my hips. No matter which way I went, one of the guys was there to stop my escape. "What the hell are you two doing?!" I snapped as they continued their furious grip on me. And still they continued to woo me and call me 'Alana', placing small kisses on all the parts of my body._

_ "Oh, don't you understand yet? They don't see you; all they've ever seen is me," a childish, feminine voice said cheerfully._

_ Turning, my eyes met a pair that I recognized with a start, because they were my own. "Who, who are you?" I asked, fearful of the answer._

_ The girl, the girl who looked __**exactly**__ like me, lifted a small, delicate hand to her mouth and giggled a bit, "You know exactly who I am, Elena dearest," she said in that same simpering voice, "I am Alana." _

_ I'd always known that I looked like Alana, this girl that lived before me, but what I hadn't known, was that Alana was my __**replica**__. Sure, I thought we might have the same hair style, same hair color, maybe even eye colors that were almost the same, but seriously; put the two of us next to each other, and you would never know the difference. Wait… what was that she'd said about not wanting me? Oh, this was __**so**__ not good! _

_ "Don't you know? Either of our two lovely men here have only ever cared for you because you resemble me; did you truly believe either of them ever loved you?" Alana smiled at me, like it was the best news in the world. "They only want me! You're just my replacement until I can come back! I thought everybody knew that!"_

_ Somewhere in my conscious, I recognized that this was fake, that this was just a dream, but by hell, this __**so**__ did not feel like a dream! _

_ "What are you talking about? That isn't real; Arsenio said he loves me, and so did Daniel," I argued right back._

_ "Then why choose you? Why not someone else? What were the chances both of them would love the same girl again after so many centuries? It's because you look like me of course! It's the only logical reason." Alana giggled behind her hand again, "Oh, pour Elena; she actually thought their love was really for her! No no no, you're just a substitute until I get back!"_

_ My heart ripped then. It just broke. So these guys, both these guys that claimed to love me; they were just using me? Was that all I truly was to them? A substitute for someone they'd always love, but looked like me? The thought was truly and utterly depressing, and I stopped struggling against the two men. When Arsenio had told me I looked like Alana, I'd never imagined we'd be so close, was sure that they truly loved me and not Alana, because surely I didn't look exactly like her! Had I been wrong all this time? Was I just fooling myself into thinking they loved me?_

_ Doubling over, I allowed the pain to swallow me, to drive me to madness. What was this world, when the two men who had stolen my heart wanted me only to replace the girl they had fought over and both lost? Was I just being used in place of a girl they both wanted, and I hadn't been the one desired in the first place? How could I have been so foolish to believe anything else?!_

_ Vaguely, a part of my brain was in reality, telling me that this was a dream, that I had to wake up before things really got ugly, but I couldn't! What if this was real?! What if this was my subconscious warning me against both of them, that I would never get either of them because they just didn't care for me?! I don't want this! I've never wanted this! Sure, I wanted to date Daniel, but never like this! Why is this happening to me? Why __**me**__?!_

_ "Look here, my love," Arsenio said, smiling at Alana like she was his savior. How could he turn those eyes on her when he'd just been looking at me like that earlier that night? "I caught the girl you wanted!"_

_ "Beautiful work, love!" Alana cried in return, sauntering up to him and placing a passionate kiss on his lips. He kissed her back with everything in him, the same way he'd kissed me just hours ago. My heart broke just a little bit more._

_ "With the girl, you can finally come back to us," Daniel smiled, showing all his pearly whites, "You'll be with us again instead of making us live with this useless being." _

_I flinched at the harsh words as Alana let out a beautiful laugh, throwing her head back. "That you can!" she said cheerfully, bestowing a kiss upon his lips as well. 'Dude, can you say slut?' _

_From the folds of her dress, the dress that matched my own, Alana pulled out two huge knivee, one that made my heart race just looking at her. What was she going to do with those? Surely she isn't going to…?_

_I just watched as she gave the knives to the two men, each of them testing the weight of the knives in their grip. What are they going to do with those? Maybe if my brain were actually working, I would have gotten it… _

_The two men smiled at me sweetly, lifting the knives. Were they going to give it to me? That was when they turned the tips towards me, and my eyes widened in terror. I understood. Shaking, I backed away from them, but they moved towards me, still smiling that charming, kind smile at me. _

"_Stop this!" I cried at them. What the hell?! They didn't seriously mean to kill me did they?! Still they moved closer. Then, Arsenio stopped. He gave me a smile, a beautiful, kind smile. Then he was gone. _

"_My beauty, burn in hell," a voice whispered in my ear. Next thing I knew, my abdominal was burning. Looking down, I noticed that the sharp end of the blade was protruding from my stomach. For a moment, I blinked. That was when the pain erupted in my body. _

_I screamed at the fire that burned through my veins; what was this?! No! He couldn't have just, Arsenio did __**not**__ just stab me! But he had. I doubled over around the knife, screaming in pain and agony. What was this?! What was this pain that burned through me! I grasped the tip of the blade, intent on pushing it out, certain that once it was gone from my body, the pain would stop. My hands were coated with blood but a second after I touched the blade, but that was when another set of hands grabbed my hair and yanked my head back._

_Looking up, I met the set of blue eyes that had haunted my dreams for the longest time. "Don't do this," I begged Daniel hoarsely, "Please."_

_He gave me naught but a savage smile before whispering, "It's time for the real being to come back and the fake to vanish." With lightning speed, he dragged the tip of the blade across my throat, then plunged it all the way up to the hilt into my chest._

_I tried to scream, I tried to express my complete and utter torment, but no sound came out; only a choked gurgle as the blood poured down my body. Falling to the ground in a blubbering mass of blood and flesh, I kept trying to scream, but the more I tried, the more blood spewed out of the slit in my neck._

'_Is this the end?' I wondered, 'is this what death is like? But I don't want to die,' I cried, ' It isn't supposed to end this way!'_

"_What a pathetic mess she is, isn't she? She is nothing compared to you," a sneer came from above me somewhere._

_Using the little strength I still possessed, I forced my eyes open and looked up to see the faces of Arsenio, Daniel and Alana smirking down at me, triumph written all over their faces. My chest burned, my stomach burned, I couldn't speak or scream no matter how much I wanted to, and here I was, dying at the feet of the two men I loved and the woman who was in all senses, me. _

_Arsenio grinned, a horrid, evil grin before lifting a single leather-booted foot. "Send the devil my greetings." Forcing his foot down, he pushed Daniel's blade further into my chest, eliciting another scream of agony from me. Then, all went black._

I woke up gasping and sweating. Moving faster than I ever thought I could, I placed a hand at my throat and my stomach, then at my chest. Nothing seemed to be out of ordinary with my body. Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands, still shaking in fear. A nightmare; that was all it'd been: a nightmare. "Thank the Lord," I whispered, "Thank God that wasn't real."

I shook again at the nightmare, what it'd held for me. What had happened with that? Why had I dreamt of that? Was that retribution for what I'd done? Hugging myself, I glanced at the clock, 7:30 am. I thanked my lucky stars that today was a professional day – a professional day right after one day of classes? How odd – and picked up a piece of paper.

I'd understood a long time ago that the only way to truly release something from my heart was to write about it, so that was what I intended to do. Experience had told me that after I finished writing, I would be able to think about the issue with a clear head. Hopefully, this situation wouldn't be too traumatic or severe for me to not be able to solve it this way.

For hours, or maybe less, I wrote. Into those pages, I poured out my heart, my feelings, my complete and utter desperation and fear. Everything I felt, everything I'd thought since the beginning of this mess that had become my life went onto the paper, and when I was finally done, I'd written ten full pages of work, back to back in the tiniest font I'd ever written it, and it was about 11:00. Now for the second part.

As I read over everything, I noticed the details, how Daniel had always veered away from talking about his part, how in his eyes, I'd always noticed something strange, but had always ignored it. Arsenio had been like that too, but his had disappeared after a while… how strange was that? What was that feeling? And that dream? Had it been real? Was that what Alana truly looked like? Is that how both the men really thought of me? As Alana's substitute? It tore at my heart just to think of it, that it might not be my person that was loved, but just my looks and the person I may have been in another life. It was a horrid thought.

Shaking my head, I decided I couldn't deal with this now, not like this, and if I wanted to deal with it at all, I'd need help. Chloe and Nicole were great choices, but they knew Daniel; they'd instantly take his side, and they only knew Arsenio as 'the Crybaby', and nothing more. All my friends at school loved Daniel, perhaps more than I did, and would instantly crucify me for what I'd done. And so, there was only one choice left…

"Hello?" a female voice asked, her tone implying that she had better things to do and that I'd better not waste her time. I was quite sure the 'better things to do' included some writing. If there was one thing that girl loved, it was her writing.

A smile came to my lips the moment I heard the voice; it'd been a long time since I'd spoken to her, and yet, she still hadn't lost the touch that made people fear her. "Winsey, it's Elena."

"This must not be good then," I heard her sigh over the phone.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, perplexed. Why did she think it was a bad thing I was calling her? If I could still feel anything beyond heartbreak and confusion, I might be annoyed or amused; Winsey was an oddity of a person in general.

"I realize you think I'm extremely odd for saying that," she said dryly, "but you and I really haven't talked in a while, and the last few times you called were because you were having a problem, so I have every right to think that this time will be the same, ya know?" Did I mention that girl was occasionally psychic? Yeah, sometimes she knows what I'm going to say, or what I'm thinking, without me having to say anything. You may say she just knows me extremely well, but we haven't talked in a long time, and I've changed, and she did too, so she can't possibly know what I'm going to say so soon. I swear to you, **psychic**.

"Well," I said, smiling guiltily, "that is kind of it." I heard her sigh once more, so I said quickly, "You don't have to help me if you don't want to; I just wanted some outside help."

If we were talking physically and not over the phone, she might have waved her hand around dismissively even as she told me, "It's fine, it's fine. Just give me a moment to get to my room so no one will overhear us talking; I have some cousins over at the moment."

"Actually, can we meet up and talk? I don't wanna do this over the phone."

There was a brief hesitation, just a brief one, but then she said, "Sure, meet you at the playground in 5?"

"Yeah, see you there."

"See ya."

After I hung up, I immediately put on some converse and headed out, ignoring the fact that my clothes were all wrinkled and my eyes were red and puffy from crying. Pulling on a hoodie, I headed off to meet her at our elementary school. She was already there when I arrived, sitting on top of the slide crossed-legged, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin resting on her joined elbows, her eyes closed. She had a few dark bags under her eyes that told me how tired she was, but the moment I stepped onto the playground, she opened her eyes and looked right at me, a soft smile on her face.

Straightening, she beckoned me up to join her, making room for me. Grinning, I climbed up the slide and sat next to her. For a while, neither of us said anything, just looking out at our old elementary school. It'd been so long since we'd been here, together. She was waiting for me to speak first, I knew, but I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. Finally, "I cheated on my boyfriend."

She looked at me, and there was no expression in her eyes; it was completely and utterly blank. Winsey didn't speak, not a single word, so I took it as my cue to continue. "Daniel, my boyfriend, is the perfect person; he's funny, smart, athletic, extremely nice, and just really, really hot. But, there's this other guy, Arsenio, he's Italian, he has the whole dark, sexy, mysterious stranger thing going on for him, and he's sarcastic and when I first met him, he pretended that he was this whole girly person, but I still really like him.

"A few days ago, I went out with Daniel, and when I got home, Arsenio was there. Arsenio and Daniel know each other, they fought over a girl, Alana, years ago, and apparently she looks exactly like me. Daniel and Arsenio got in a fight, and I blacked out when I tried to make them stop, and then when I came back to consciousness, Arsenio told me what happened and Daniel wouldn't. He told me about their shared history, and about Alana, but I didn't believe him; I wanted to go to Daniel later for answers.

"Today, I spoke with him at school, but he rejected me, and told me I had to choose between him and Arsenio, even though I told him I loved him. I didn't understand what he was saying, was I to choose between the answers I needed and my boyfriend? He made me choose, and when I couldn't do it, I fled. When I got home today, Arsenio was there waiting for me. We spoke for a while, and then because I wouldn't shut up yelling at him, he kissed me. And I kissed him back. He told me he loved me, and I said the same thing to him, and Daniel walked in on us and stormed out. I tried looking for him, but he was gone."

I turned to her, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes again, "Winsey, what do I do? I love them both so much. Daniel is like the perfect person, but he doesn't tell me things, and he treats me like I'm going to break. Arsenio is amazingly sexy, he treats me like an equal, and he gives me answers and doesn't lie to me when he tells me things, but he just has so much power within him that it kind of scares me, and he can be really infuriating, more often than not. What do I do?"

By the time I finished talking, she was looking away from me again. Her eyes were dark with fatigue and were far away, as if she were trying to look into forever. She didn't say anything, not a single word, and I knew she would only begin to talk when she wanted to; like me, she probably had to gather her thoughts before she spoke. Her next words were not what I expected. "Who do you see when you close your eyes?"

"What do you mean?"

She gave me a 'duh' look, eyes slightly narrowed. "Close your eyes, and let your mind go blank. Then, summon up the word 'man'. Which of the two guys do you see?"

I did as she commanded, but my mind demanded that I choose one. Winsey must have known the problem I was having, because she said in a soft, soothing voice, "Let your mind go blank, completely blank; don't think of a single thing. Be completely at peace. Who do you see?"

A picture of Arsenio rose to my mind immediately, but it was instantly overtaken by the image of Daniel, smiling at me with loving eyes. "I saw Arsenio," I said quietly, opening my eyes, "and then I saw Daniel right after."

"Then you love Arsenio more," she said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "The one your heart truly desires will always appear first, even if your mind says that the other choice is better.

"But… Daniel is my boyfriend," I said hesitantly.

Winsey gave a humorless laugh, "After what you did, I doubt that's true anymore." At my distraught look, she said quietly, "You know I didn't say that to hurt you, but you have to be realistic: you cheated on your boyfriend, and even though you were confused and hurt, that still doesn't give you an excuse to kiss another boy before the two of you are truly broken up. Maybe this is for the best though; you love Arsenio, right? Now that it's over with Daniel, the two of you are free to be together without any outside hindrances."

"It's more complicated than that," I said miserably, "What if Daniel and Arsenio only want me because I look like Alana?"

"How does Daniel look at you? How does Arsenio look at you? In books, they always say that one can feel the love of a man shining through his eyes. Is that true with either of your men? Do you see something hidden within the depths of their eyes when they speak to you? Something that doesn't look good?"

I thought about it; at first, I'd seen it with both men, but as time went on, Arsenio lost the quality about him, but was what I'd seen true love? Was it true love that shone out of Daniel's eyes? "At first, they both had something in them, but Arsenio lost it, yet Daniel never has. I don't know if Arsenio truly loves me though; the emotion I can see in his eyes is so great, so completely consuming, that it makes me feel warm inside and so fluttery, but Daniel gives me the same feeling…"

Winsey was quite for a moment, "If you ask my opinion, I truly think Arsenio may be the better choice, and not just because I prefer the dark and mysterious stranger with the attitude" - that brought a small smile to my lips - "but because of the way you describe him. I've been listening to how you speak of him, the way your eyes light up when you do, even though you're hurting so much now. The warmth that you feel is from his gaze, from the eyes that make you feel like nothing can hurt you, like they can see into the depths of your soul. Am I wrong?"

She wasn't; she was completely accurate like always. That was one of the things I'd never got about Winsey; she had never had a boyfriend of her own, and yet, she always had the answers to my relationship problems, every single time. She'd been in love for sure, but she had never had a man of her own; could she possibly have learned all of that from the one heartbreak she'd suffered? It was hard to understand, but I wasn't going to argue with it, not when she provided the most help I'd be likely to receive.

"You aren't, but…" How could I tell her? Could I even tell her about the vampires without completely discrediting my sanity? Arya truly loved books, so maybe I could tell her? Or maybe I was just selfish; I **needed** to tell someone! Winsey was probably the best choice; it was now or never.

"Winsey, there's something I haven't told you," I said slowly.

"Yes, I gathered that much," she said dismissively, "Are you going to tell me what that something is?"

"There are vampires," I blurted. Oh Lord, what is she going tot hink? What is she going to do? Is she going to think me mad? I-

"I know," she said quietly. My inner babble shut up.

"I mean like-. Wait, what? You know? How?"

She let out a long breath, "There's something I haven't told you either: my family is made completely of vampire hunters. I've been learning how to kill the undead since I was born, and I started hunting at the age of ten. I know they exist, and it's my job to kill them, but I fell in love with one, a couple of years ago. That man that I told you broke my heart? He was a vampire."

Her news could not have shocked me more; it couldn't have shocked me more if she told me she'd become a prostitute, and let me tell you, Winsey is like the saint of girl's purity. My mouth literally dropped open, "You knew? And you didn't tell me?"

She gave me another 'duh' look. Yeah, I guess that really was a stupid question… Wait a minute, what was that last part? "What do you mean 'was'?"

"I mean he was," she said quietly, a sorrowful look on her face, "My parents found out about him and brought him before our entire family. They executed him there, and he died looking into my eyes with anger, like I'd betrayed him. I couldn't even tell him it wasn't me who'd done it, because it was; if it hadn't been for me, he would still be living now, or living as well as he could while half-dead. I knew from the start, from the way you said they loved Alana 'a long time ago' that they were vampires themselves, and that Alana was dead. So why don't you tell me this story again, without leaving anything out this time?"

"Wait, why should I tell you? You'll just kill them." I didn't deny that they were indeed vampires, because really, what would be the point? She would see through my lie like saran wrap.

"I don't hunt anymore, at least, not usually. The only time I really hunt is when a vampire really poses a threat to the general public. Since your men haven't yet, I have no intention of pursuing either of them."

Looking at her steadily, I decided she was telling the truth; Winsey just didn't lie about stuff like that. I hoped. So I told her the full story, from front to back, without leaving out anything in the middle like she'd asked. For who-knows-how-long, I poured out my heart to her, poured out my complete anguish to her in words. She listened to me patiently throughout the entire thing, and at times, I wondered why I'd ever left her, why I ever allowed us to grow apart; there was no replacing Winsey, ever.

By the time I was done, almost an hour had passed. Winsey let out a long breath, rubbing her eyes. Finally, I remembered how tired she appeared. "What's wrong with you?" I asked softly, "You're so tired."

"I am," she agreed, "But it doesn't matter why; you may have just given me my answer anyways. For the last little while, I'd felt an evil presence around these parts, but I could never tell what it was, and it's plagued me for months on end. Maybe this presence I'm sensing is this Alana person, a dead vampire you say? They say that born vampires, the ones who were created at the beginning of the world, have lingering spirits here even as they die, but they are only connected to those who resemble them completely, and with that, they may be able to overtake the new person and essentially become that person. I've never experienced it before myself, but maybe this is what it is. Bloody hell Elena; what have you gotten yourself into?"

"So what do you suggest I do?"

"I think you should trust Arsenio, but only him for now, especially since he hasn't hurt you in anyway, but Daniel has. Why don't we try this? Let me meet both the guys, let me do my own analysis of both of them and together we'll try to figure out which one of them tells the truth and which lies."

Oh man, to have someone with me in this, I couldn't imagine a better outcome. I squeezed the small Chinese girl, hugging her with everything in me, "Thank you," I whispered in her ear, "Thank you, thank you."

"Speak nothing of it," she said gently, patting my back, "We're best friends, Lena; there's little I wouldn't do for you." Yes, we were best friends, and I'd been foolish to throw that away when we'd gone to different high schools. I just hugged her all the tighter.

"So," she said casually, "How about I go to school with you tomorrow, and we'll pretend that I'm a family friend who is considering moving here?"

"Won't your parents be mad?"

"They'll live for the day; if it's for you, I'll risk their wrath."

I smiled brilliantly at her and hugged her again; Winsey really was a marvelous friend. "Alright," I said, "So tomorrow? Come to my place bright and early and we'll go to school together."

She smiled back, "We'll face this together; you can count on me." And I knew I could. Even if Daniel hated me, even if everyone at school crucified me, at least I wouldn't be alone. I had Winsey at my back, and I trusted her. I wouldn't be alone.


	17. To Face The Masses

**Hey guys! True to my promise, I updated within two weeks, but I'm afraid that this chapter might be a bit boring. Still, I hope you enjoy, and please review! They do make me happy xD**

**~Hanieya Okudashu**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: To Face the Masses<strong>

The next day, I woke up with dread in my soul and fear in my heart. Good Lord, by now, Daniel must have told everybody about what had happened between the two of us, what I had done. Even now, when I was still lying in my bed with fear coating my throat, I could just think of the death-glares I'd receive from every single person in school. Frickin hell; Daniel really had played all the people in school extraordinarily well. It was built so carefully that even if someone claimed that he was actually a vampire, nobody would believe him, and not just because he had the blond god looks, but because he was so essentially good. Ah hell, this was going to suck like crap.

That was when the doorbell rung. I stayed in bed, thinking it might be one of my mom's friends to carpool with her to work or something, but that was when I heard a distinctly smooth voice. "Good morning Mr. Sky," the female voice said with a slight lilt. What is she…? Oh yeah! "Is Elena home? I have a fieldtrip at school today, and I've been to the aquarium so many times that I figured I might as well just do the project without going there. I figured I'd go to see what your daughter's school was like, since all my friends are in class, if that's okay?" I swear, Winsey **really** knows how to talk to people; that girl can charm her way into **anything**.

"Of course, of course; come in! Will you join us for breakfast? We do have a guest here though, if it's alright." A guest? I wasn't aware of any guest. Alright, three guesses who it could be and the first two don't count.

I heard a muffled answer as I closed the door and started to get changed into a pink tank top, black leather jacket and white, ripped skinny jeans. Looking in the mirror, I smiled at my reflection; damn, I looked hot.

Someone knocked on my door, and next thing I knew, a small Chinese girl was sitting on my bed. "You should really learn to lock your doors," Winsey drawled, smiling.

I rolled my eyes, "Good morning to you too, sunshine."

"You look nice," she said lightly. Huh, that was strange; Winsey never gave out compliments when we were younger.

Taking out a hairbrush, I proceeded to brushing back my long black hair as I glanced in the mirror at her. "So do you," I replied. And she really did. Winsey had grown up quite a bit since we were in elementary school, and she'd lost all signs of childhood awkwardness, and now, I could see in the very way she posed that she knew who she was, and she was content with it. She was finally who she wanted to be.

Winsey had always been strong, had always loved to fight for as long as I'd known her, but the muscles only truly caught on now, giving her lean arms and legs, the fat she'd had there previously completely gone. She'd exchanged the glasses she used to wear for contacts, making her face look infinitely leaner and younger. She wore easy-going clothes: comfortable looking jeans, black converse, a gray v-necked tee shirt with a heart and a picture of London on it, and black leather jacket over all of it. Her dark hair was longer than it was in elementary school, reaching almost the small of her back, and time spent in the sun had burnt it to a nice dark chocolate brown shade. It was the first time I'd noticed it, but Winsey was beautiful.

"Are you done staring at me? Or should I just take a picture for you?" she finally drawled. Huh, had I been staring that long? The look on her face told me I had.

"Nah, it's good," I grinned, "Come on, let's go. You wanna go out for breaky?"

She raised an eyebrow at me knowingly. "I know who's at the table," she said quietly, a small smirk on her face, "It's a good time to meet him, when there's a less chance of him attacking me or me him."

"You two would attack each other?" I asked, astonished. What? She just told me yesterday that she wouldn't hurt either them!

Winsey shrugged indifferently, "Vampires just have this way about them and can see who is hunter and who isn't; I think it has to do with the way we walk, how our footsteps are trained to be silent and our faces are perpetually blank." It bothered me how she said 'we' instead of they; she was a hunter, and their jobs were to kill vampires. But the two men I loved were vampires, and I'm asking for a hunter's help? There are just so many things wrong with that. I shook my head; I had to stop thinking of Winsey as just a hunter! She was my best friend, the friend who I could count on above anyone else; there was no way she'd kill a guy I'd admitted to loving!

"Alright then," I said, pasting a smile on my face, well, forcing a smile on my face, "Let's go out and meet the almighty Arsenio Rivera then!"

"What's his real name?" Winsey asked me curiously as we walked out of the room. I couldn't help but smile triumphantly at the height difference between us. Back when we were in elementary school, she was always taller than me if we weren't the same height, but now, I was like, fives inches taller than her! Damn if that didn't make me feel just a bit smug!

"Emil something, I think," I replied, frowning, "I heard him and Daniel yelling at each other in names I didn't know, and they were Emil and Davide."

She nodded, a pondering hoop on her face. I realized then that she knew a lot more of the vampires then I did; had she perhaps heard of Emil or Davide before this? Before she knew that they were here? Did she know their history, what they'd done? I wanted to ask her if she had a record of them, when they'd been born, how long they'd lived, but somehow I understood that even if she did know, she wouldn't tell me; this wasn't something to be gotten from a secondary source.

When we got to the doorway before entering the kitchen, I paused; was I sure about this? I had no reason to distrust Winsey, but what would happen if she discovered that he was the source of terrible things, that he'd done things that would have sent me running for the hills in seconds in his past? What if she decided to kill him? The answer came to me a moment after I asked myself that: I would stop her, even if my life was at stake. And I'd do the exact same for Daniel.

Winsey glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. _"Here we go,"_ I thought grimly as we stepped into the brightly lit room.

The first thing I saw was Arsenio sitting there, calmly drinking a cup of coffee like it was the most normal thing in the world. He looked up at me cautiously, like he was wary I was going to kick him out. Why would he…? Oh yeah, right, Daniel. Bloody hell, this would not turn out well. Throwing me a smirk when I didn't say a word, he relaxed in his seat. That Italian, as arrogant as he ever was. Next, his eyes landed on Winsey. That was when all hell broke free.

Instantly, Arsenio was in his feet before I could even blink, but Winsey stood there, with a calm, hell, even **bored** look on her face, her hands stuffed in her pockets. "Good morning to you too," she said casually, eyes trained on the tense vampire.

Arsenio glanced between Winsey and I, his eyes narrowing, before turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. Even though my parents were staring, I couldn't help but admire the way his tight black shirt showed me how his muscles bunched together as he walked. It was sexy. We followed him, Winsey taking the time to say a casual, "Forgive his manners; I met him about three years ago on a trip to Italy to visit my cousin, and we ended on rather unfriendly terms, which would explain his reaction upon seeing me." I swear, put that girl in any situation, and she could have all the surrounding people eating out of her palm within the **hour**.

Arsenio was just in the living room when we left the kitchen. He turned piercing green eyes on me, and I sucked in a breath; those eyes stole me away every single time, no matter how long I'd already known him for. Now that I think about it, I've known him what, two weeks tops? Man, it seems like so much longer, doesn't it? The thing was, this time, his eyes weren't friendly at all; they were furious.

"So this was your plan?" he asked quietly, furious, "I kiss you and cause Davide to be furious at you, and you decide to hire a hunter to murder me? I honestly believed you were better than that, Elena; even Alana would never have done such a thing. You-." _Ouch, that wasn't very nice. I didn't bring Winsey along with me to do that at all, hell, that was the __**last**__ thought in my mind!_

Well, apparently Winsey didn't like it either, because she crossed the room, faster than I thought she could ever move, and the next thing I knew, there was a knife at his throat. "You will **shut**. **Up**," she commanded mildly. _How the hell did she do that? She sounded calm, but so damn menacing at the same time! That doesn't make any sense in Elena world!_

"Now then," Winsey commanded, "I will remove the knife, if you stop talking and let me explain, capiche?"

Arsenio narrowed his eyes and considered his options. _Options? I don't think he has options. What will he do if he doesn't agree? What __**can**__ he do? If he didn't agree to listen to her, would they start fighting? Would he keep accusing me of trying to kill him? Damn, that wasn't very appealing; maybe I could ask Winsey to punch him for me if he does that! Aw man, but that might ruin his face… damn! Elena! In a crisis here! Don't think of his face, or perfect abs, or that cute ass… __**Elena**__!_

After a moment, Arsenio agreed, and Winsey smiled lightly, removing the blade from his throat. "Care to walk us to school, Emil?" she asked smoothly, a friendly smile on her face, "We have much to speak of, and I would much rather Mr. and Mrs. Sky not coming in here and disturb us, or your 'father' either, for that matter."

Damn, that girl really thought of everything, didn't she? I shook my head, a small smile on my face. Arsenio nodded warily, watching her closely. "Arsenio," I said softly, my voice breaking the tense silence, "Trust her; she's my best friend."

Arsenio raised an eyebrow at me, "Chloe is your best friend."

"So is Winsey," I replied quietly, "She was the only one I could go to."

"This isn't a conversation in which any of us can stay in one spot," Winsey said quietly, moving towards the door. "If we walk, we release energy, and that act itself will do at least something to relieve the agitation all of us are sure to feel."

Arsenio and I followed her out of the door obediently, but not before I threw a 'going to school, see you later!' to my parents. For a couple of minutes, we walked in silence, Winsey loping along gracefully while Arsenio and I waited in tense silence, waiting for her to speak.

Arsenio broke first; I'd been around him long enough to understand that his temper really didn't last all that long, especially in conditions he wasn't comfortable in. "Who are you?" Arsenio asked tersely.

"My name is Winsey," said person replied smoothly, "and I am Elena's best friend from elementary school. I am a hunter from the Xi-Liang division, but I hunt only when a vampire, such as yourself, poses a serious threat to this world. Should you prove not to mean any true harm to mortals, you have no need to fear me. Do you know the story of the vampire Kydan?" Who? I'd never heard of such a person… but then again, I hadn't known vampires existed until a week or so ago, so…

Arsenio studied her, then his eyes widened in understanding. "You're the human Kydan fell in love with and who eventually led him to his death."

Winsey laughed, a hoarse, tormented sound. _Ouch, I hadn't even known she was still suffering! I thought she was over it!_ "I am, and I can't even deny the fact that I led him to his death, because if he hadn't known me, had tried harder to set him free, had been more careful during our last meeting to make sure no one had followed us, he would still be in this world now. And yet, I hadn't done any of that, and now he is nothing more than a pile of ashes. I couldn't even save him from being burned to death."

Arsenio froze, "He burned?"

"He did, and I was forced to stay there and watch him scream," she replied quietly, "I was forced to watch the man I loved die in agony." Her eyes were anguished, tormented, and guilt-ridden. Had she been suffering from this pain all these years? Had I truly missed the fact that the person I called my best friend was suffering this much? Man, I was a horrible friend!

Arsenio looked at her closely, and I figured it would be best not to do anything, to let them talk it out between themselves. For a couple minutes – thank heavens the walk to school is long! – he studied her intensely, and she let him, even though I knew full well that if she desired it otherwise, he would only have seen her mask. Finally, "I believe you," he said so quietly I wasn't sure I'd heard him, "I sense nothing but truth and regret in your mind."

Winsey nodded once, then resumed their previous conversation as if they hadn't just spoke about her heart-wrenching pain. "Now then, I'm sure you're curious as to why I'm here now, when you haven't seen, or probably even heard, of me previously, and then thing is, well, Elena needs moral support for school. We both know that in the ways things have turned out, there is little chance that Elena and Daniel are still going out now. I know that if Daniel had not been popular, Elena would have gone to Chloe or Nicole first, but considering that her eyes were still puffy from when I met with her, I'll have to assume she didn't" – is this girl bright or what?! – "and that is why I am here now."

Arsenio nodded, "I see. Will you make me a promise?"

Winsey and I both turned to him, but while I was surprised, Winsey was studying him, a pondering look on her face. "It much depends on what that favor is."

Arsenio took a deep breath, and said, "Don't hurt Davide."

Winsey's eyebrows, and my own, shot straight up; now **that** was something I hadn't been expecting at all. Turning, I looked at Winsey to see her eyes narrowed, much like what she'd always done when she was deep in thought. For some reason, my agitation was quelled just a bit by this familiar action; I still knew my best friend.

"I can make no promises," she said quietly, after a few moments of silence. "All I can say is what I said to you before: if he poses no threat to the mortal populace or anyone I give a damn about, he will be safe. More than that, I cannot swear to you." Winsey was so odd, with her old-timey speech. Was that a result of the hunting? Or was she just like that?

Arsenio nodded and was quiet. "That is all I ask. However, if he gets out of hand, you need not worry yourself."

Winsey glanced at him sharply, but for me, well, I was staring at him to begin with, so… "Of what do you speak? Surely you don't mean…" What were they talking about? Why wouldn't Winsey need to worry if Daniel started committing murders?

Arsenio raised his hand and gazed at it. "If Davide has become so twisted in the five hundred seventy six years we have been thus, with this hand, I will kill him." A wry smile touched his lips, "Well, I'll kill him again." _**What?!**_

_No way, he did __**not**__ just say that! Surely he couldn't? I mean, come on, sure they were fighting over Alana, but they were best friends once upon a time! He __**can't**__ kill Daniel!_ Winsey voiced my thoughts, "Impossible," she said in a low, furious voice. **Damn** that's creepy. I felt goose bumps raise on my skin just at the coldness in her voice; it was that scary. "Can you kill a man who was your best friend? Even if he is after the one you love? I know that if I were you, I would not be able to kill either Kavita or Elena, ever." I glanced at Winsey, who was looking at me, a gentle smile on her face. I smiled back at her; I knew I wouldn't be able to kill her either, even if she was doing horrible things to people, not to mention that if I even tried, I'd be dead in a second. I'm not joking, that girl is a friggin' beast at martial arts.

"I am not like you," Arsenio retorted shortly, "I can do it."

Winsey turned from him with narrowed eyes, clearly not believing his words. I didn't blame her; I didn't trust him either.

The rest of the walk to school was quiet, all of us lost in our own thoughts. As we got nearer the school thought, my heart picked up its beat; what was going to happen? Did Daniel tell everyone what I'd done? Was everyone going to hate me? Fear clenched my throat, caught a hold of me and refused to let go. What was going to happen? I didn't want to be scared, but was it inevitable? Aw man, what were Chloe and Nicole going to think? What about the rest of my friends?!

I felt a hand slip into my own, and I turned to Winsey, startled. She was smiling ahead, a smirk on her face, completely at peace with the world. Turning to me, she bestowed an arrogant smile on me. "Calm down," she admonished, even as the people part us began staring at the three of us, particularly at Winsey and Arsenio, "People are staring. Big deal. You've wasted enough sleep over this, and walking slower is only going to drag out your torment longer, not help you. Now come on; I need to grab a hot chocolate before school starts; I didn't get breakfast before I left today."

"Where are you going to get the hot chocolate?" I asked, dumbfounded as Arsenio muttered a quick goodbye before heading backwards towards home. _Coward; he bloody left us!_

Winsey grinned, "You have no idea what charming a secretary will do for you."

I laughed; ah man, Winsey had definitely changed! Back in elementary school, she'd only opened up to a few certain people, and now she was so relaxed with everything! It was amazing! "You've changed so much since grade seven," I grinned as we kept walking.

"You can blame Kavita for that," she replied casually, "You have no idea what an influence she can have on a person after just a few days; it's bloody crazy."

"Bloody? I don't remember you being English," I teased, laughing at her choice of words.

She just gave me a secret smile as we headed into the office. _Office? What? How did we…?_ I looked Winsey, mouth open. She just winked, "The wonders of distraction, my friend." I laughed and led her to our secretary; that girl was just so sneaky!

"Good morning, Ms. Reena," I smiled at the secretary.

"Good morning, Elena; who is this?"

Winsey smiled at the secretary, a polite, goody-two-shoe smile on her face. "Good morning, Miss, my name is Arya Chan, and I'm a family friend of Elena's. I'm here for a couple of weeks, so Mr. and Mrs. Sky suggested that I accompany Elena here to school today to see what school is like in Canada."

"Where do you live, sweetie?" Ms. Reena asked, a beautiful smile on her face.

"I live in the States," Winsey replied smoothly. Damn that girl is smart!

The secretary and Winsey talked a bit more, just a bit more, and Winsey, being the sneak that she was, managed to convince the secretary to make us both a cup of hot chocolate, using a story about how everyone she'd met so far was so nice, and that Ms. Reena was so beautiful and stuff. I'll rephrase what I said earlier: that girl can have anybody eating out of her palm in ten minutes. Give her ten minutes, and she'll have anything she wants. Damn, why can't I have that skill?

We exited the office not long later, both of us nursing a cup of hot chocolate, and Winsey sporting a visitor's pass, which she immediately clipped to the hem of her leather jacket. It was strange; no one was looking at me like I was a leper. As strange looks went, they were all directed at Winsey, not me. But, didn't Daniel…? Surely he said something? He couldn't have let this slide!

We stopped at my locker first, Winsey already half finished her hot chocolate. I didn't understand that either; it was damning **boiling** when we got it, and she was already finished that much in the two minutes it took to get to my locker. "What do you think of my school so far?" I asked, tossing her a smile.

"It's a lot smaller than my own," she said absently as she scanned the hallways, "but it's a lot more colorful." I nodded, studying her. Now that I knew what she was, I could see the analyzing glint in her eyes, could detect the calculated way she watched all who passed by her. It kind of scared me, but at the same time, her cautiousness made me feel safe; I knew that if the situation ever came to it, Winsey would know what to do, and I would be all right.

The only hint I had was Winsey raising her an eyebrow before taking a sip of her hot chocolate, when a voice squealed in my ear. "Elena! You're here! Why did you want to walk to school by yourself today?"

Hearing a stifled laugh, I looked over at Winsey, who was smirking into her cup. Turning, I met the grins of Chloe, Nicole and Melody. They were grinning…? Daniel didn't tell everybody? I couldn't decide if I was relieved or scared out of my wits; what was he planning? I shook my head mentally; this was **Daniel**, the golden boy of Windemere; maybe he really was the amazing person I'd always thought him to be and he decided to forgive me? Or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.

"Good morning guys, and I was meeting up with somebody," I smiled, trying to hide my inner turmoil.

"Who? Is it Daniel? Did he come walk you to school this morning?" Hearing it come out of Chloe's mouth was like a punch to my chest; I couldn't help but remember what I'd done to him yesterday. I was such a bitch.

"Actually, I was walking with a family friend," I replied smoothly. Without beckoning, Winsey sauntered up to my side, an expression of mild curiosity placed on her face. "This is Wi-, Arya; she's here for a bit, so our parents figured it'd be good for her to see how schools in Canada worked."

Winsey stuffed her hands inside the pockets of her jeans and gave them a cool smile, "A pleasure to meet you; you're rather squealy, aren't you?" That they were, that they were; maybe I should have warned her before she was exposed to the lot of them.

My friends inspected Winsey curiously, starting from the top of her short self all the way down to her slightly battered converse and back up again. I could tell from their very expressions that they found Winsey odd; she really wasn't anything like the openness I shared with my high school friends; Winsey was so much more closed off and posed an intimidating character. Ha! I have a hit man up for hire if anyone pisses me off again!

"It's nice to meet you," Nicole said finally, smiling at Winsey.

I beckoned my three friends closer, "Her name isn't actually Arya; this is my best friend from elementary school, Winsey, but she wanted to check out our school, so we're pretending she's a family friend."

All three of their eyes widened in comprehension. "Wait, isn't Winsey the goody-two-shoes you told us about? From what we heard, we thought there'd be no way she'd skip school," Melody said, confused.

Winsey just shrugged, leaning against my locker, looking in all the world like she belonged there, "My class went on a fieldtrip today, and I've been to the aquarium one too many times; I figured I might as well spend the day here and actually entertain myself."

I shot a look at Winsey; what was she doing? These were my friends, and I trusted them; hwy was she lying to them? In response, she just gave me a look that told me she'd tell me later, maybe. I grudgingly held back my retort and went with it, but I really didn't see why it mattered if they knew who she was. Clearly though, Winsey wanted to keep her privacy; I just didn't know why.

Another shadow fell over us, and a low masculine voice entered my ears, "Good morning beautiful; I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get here."

I turned quickly, giving Winsey a mouthful of hair, to which she cursed softly and spit my hair out of her mouth – I'd have to wash that later. "Daniel," I breathed softly. Almost imperceptibly, I saw Winsey stiffen from the corner of my eye, but she relaxed just as quickly, making me think that maybe I had imagined it…

"You look so surprised to see me, Elena; why is that?" Daniel looked genuinely confused, but what was that? I could detect a dark glint in his eyes, but for just a second, just for a second. _What was that? Maybe I imagined it…_

"What about yesterday?" I asked dumbly. I could almost hear Winsey cursing under her breath; alright, maybe that was more than a bit stupid. She had come here to give me moral support in case my friends hated me, and it turned out that I hadn't needed her at all with the way everyone was treating me, but now I had to go along and tell everybody? Man, I wish some of that girl's smarts would rub off on me.

Daniel's face darkened for a moment, but then he drew me close. "I am so sorry about what I said yesterday, and I get how my actions might have drove you into the arms of another man, but I forgive you for that; it was my fault you felt the need to find someone else in the first place." I was dumbfounded; surely he couldn't mean it? Oh my goodness, that would be wonderful! If he could just forgive me, I could forget it all, and I could be happy with just him. I tried to tell myself that it was what I wanted, but there was a nagging in the back of my mind, that this was wrong, and that there was still someone else… A hint of black flashed through my mind, but I pushed it away; Daniel was here, and he had forgiven me; there was no need to think of any other man. After all, Daniel was everything I wanted.

"I hate to interrupt your love fest, but we really should be getting to class," a voice drawled, breaking me out of my thoughts.

My head snapped up, hitting Daniel in the chin, and I turned to Winsey, who was looking at us through narrowed eyes.

I could feel it when Daniel saw Winsey, because his entire body stiffened. "Who are you?" he asked softly. His voice was scary calm, and it sounded almost… predatory.

"I am Arya," Winsey replied smoothly, "I'm a family friend of the Sky family, and our parents figured it would be beneficial if I accompanied Elena to school today. I assume you are the boyfriend Elena has told me all about? Da, Davide? Darian? Forgive me, I don't really remember your name."

I saw Winsey's eyes trained on Daniel while she said the name 'Davide', and Daniel stiffened even more, his grip almost vise-like. "Daniel," he replied smoothly, his politeness equal to Winsey's arrogance and aloofness, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Arya; I look forward to making your acquaintance."

Only I, who had known Winsey as long as I did, could see the flash of amusement that passed through my best friends' eyes, and then it was back to cool indifference. "Likewise." Turning away from Daniel, she smiled at me, a kind smile, "Come on; class awaits. What's first on the schedule for today, Sky?"

I grinned as I stepped away from Daniel, having to tug once before he let me go. "English class," I told her. Her face brightened up; that girl really did love her writing more than anything else.

"I'll see you at lunch," I said to Daniel before heading off with Winsey.

The day passed by easily, all the teachers accepting Winsey's presence without comment, and then it was lunchtime. Daniel was waiting for me outside my classroom, much to my pleasant surprise. "Come on, I thought we'd go out for lunch today," he said casually, taking my hand in his. "Does Arya here want to join us?"

"I'd love to," said person replied breezily. If you looked at her stance, at first glance, she would appear casual, completely unperturbed by what was happening around her and all the stares she got from the boys. Awkward much? But if you looked carefully, you'd be able to see the tension in her muscles, the way she walked like she was prepared to be attacked at any possible second. I'd always thought that it was something that Winsey just did because of her love of fighting, but now I understood that it was in her hunter nature. It explained so much.

The moment we got outside, Daniel dropped my hand and turned to me, his stance suddenly tense, like he was preparing to fight. "Elena, you do realize that your friend here is a hunter, yes?"

"I do," I replied quietly. Oh dear, was he going to blow up like Arsenio did this morning?

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "So you planned to get rid of me?"

"No!" I gasped. What the hell was it with these boys and thinking that I was going to have Winsey go all hunter on them?! Sure, she actually was a hunter, but the thought had never even crossed my mind! "She was here anyways, and I figured you were furious at me, so I brought her along for moral support! Did you really think I would hire someone to kill you?!"

"She's a hunter," Daniel replied flatly, "Hunters hunt vampires; it's in their very being to do it."

"I only hunt when my hand is forced," Winsey said quietly from behind me, speaking up for the first time since Daniel had invited us out for lunch, "I only kill those who pose a harm to the populace, but no one else." Her voice was flat, dispassionate; she clearly didn't like Daniel very much. Why was that?

"Hey!" a voice called. Spinning around, I met eyes the color of the forest shining in the sun. Holy crap that was hot. _Arsenio? What's he doing here? And why is he holding paper bags?_ "Afternoon, Elena, Winsey; you guys forgot your lunches, so I took the liberty of bringing them to you," Arsenio said, tossing a bag to Winsey, which she caught one handed.

"It's Arya," she said absently as she peered at the contents of the bag.

Arsenio was confused for a second, but then understanding flashed over his face, and he nodded, "Forgive me; I forgot."

"Emil," Daniel said stiffly, making his presence known.

Arsenio turned towards the noise, and his eyes hardened, "Davide."

"_Two will fight for one, but only one can be the true winner of this everlasting war,"_ a voice whispered in my head, _"They will fight, and one of them will fall, but who it is, only the ones at the end shall know."_ What was that voice? What the hell was it saying to me? _Only one shall live?_ What the hell was up with that crap? It was just freaky… From whence had that voice come from? Oh dear… what is wrong with my speech? Why am I speaking such?!

All too soon, I felt the consuming pressure that I learned to recognize was a sign of the being that sought to possess me. I tried to push against it, tried to force myself to pay attention to what the two men were arguing about! Why wasn't Winsey doing anything?! She was just standing there on the side studying them! **Why wasn't she stopping them?! **

The pressure in my brain, mixed with my rampant emotions really weren't helping my situation! _'Stop!'_ I wanted to shout. I wanted them to stop arguing and **help me** damn it! Was that so wrong?! I didn't want this pain in my head! Why couldn't anyone see that I was in agony?! I held on to my head and fell to my knees, trying to get rid of the burning pressure behind my eyes.

All of a sudden, I felt lithe arms wrap around me. Who? Forcing my eyes open, I saw Winsey there; what was she doing at my school? Who was she shouting too? But I couldn't handle in anymore! Finally, I couldn't do it. I surrendered, and my soul fell.

Closing my eyes, I dropped, too tired to hold my own. When next I opened my eyes, it was not I who commanded my body. Alana had returned.


	18. Overtaken

**Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long; I've just been completely swamped by school and the sorts. I do hope they chapter will make up for it; it's not as great as I usually write, but it's full of drama and action, so I hope every one likes it. I have actually abandoned my other story, Return, because I decided on a new plot, but that one's rather private, so unless I get messages saying to keep on going with it, it's gone. Also, thanks so much to Alistarsmusic; your reviews are awesome like pie and they're always inspiring to see and make me love writing that much more. Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy, and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! **

**~Hanieya Okudashu**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: Overtaken<strong>

"Ah hell… Is this going to happen every single time Arsenio and Daniel are in the same room?" I cursed softly in my head, eyes narrowed, as I studied the scene below me. From experience, and Arsenio's words, I'd finally understood that my lapse in memories meant that Alana was invading me again, and damn it I hated it!

Ignoring all else, I flew before my own eyes. "Alana!" I barked, "Damn it, give me my body back!"

Nothing.

"Alana!" I screamed, "I know you can hear me damn it! Give me my bloody body back or I swear if you steal it, I'll haunt you for eternity!"

Alana stood and stretched luxuriously, my shirt lifting to show a bit of my stomach… her stomach… hell, you know what I mean! "Alana!" I screeched at her.

Finally, she turned to me. "You're vexing me," she said coolly, pointing an elegant finger at me, "Be silent." And then I couldn't speak anymore. My throat closed up, and no matter how hard I tried, no sound came out of my mouth, try as I might. _What the hell is this?! I am so seriously outclassed it's not even funny! Yo man, that is just so friggin' uncool!_

I could see Winsey was stepping back, horror marking every feature of her body. Even from my position, I could see her mouthing, "Oh Lord, Oh Lord, **Oh Lord**," over and over again like some sort of prayer. I swooped in front of her; Arsenio and Daniel couldn't see me, but Winsey, being a hunter could. Hopefully. Frantically, I waved my hands in front of her face, poked her, did everything I could, but even she could not detect my presence. What the hell was I supposed to do?! If I could scream, I would scream until Alana retreated out of pure annoyance.

I swooped down before the fiend that had stolen my body again, waving my hands in front of her as she rolled back her… my shoulders… Agh! You get my point! Pretending I wasn't even there, she waved her hand in front of her face nonchalantly, right where I was. And I was knocked backwards with the force of a train.

I flew and flew, tumbling head over heels for minutes, hours, I don't know. I rammed right trees and walls, each of them feeling like nothing more than a slight ripple over my ghostly skin. Finally I managed to upright myself long enough to stop my motion. Where the hell was I? I couldn't even tell how far I'd gone now.

Figuring if I flew backwards from the way I'd been tumbling I'd get back to the drama, I headed in that direction. Sure enough, within minutes, I was back before Alana, Daniel, Arsenio and Winsey. This time though, I knew not to antagonize her; she'd just send me flying again and waste time. Bloody hell, what was I supposed to do then?!

Winsey had regained her composure and was staring at Alana coolly, her eyes calculating and planning already. The girl knew how to get her way with things; I didn't doubt that, ever. Ah man, if anyone could help me get out of this situation now, it was Winsey! Please! God, Buddha, whatever there is, help me now!

By now, Alana was done stretching my body in ways I didn't even know I could bend, faking innocence as she showed off parts of my body. Just seeing her do that made me want to rip my own hair out. How dare she do such a slutty thing?! Especially while she was in **my** body! _That sounded so wrong…_

Arsenio and Daniel had stopped fighting by that point and were both looking at my body, each of them with blank faces. What were they thinking? I'd give all my clothes and all my money just to find out, I really would.

"Good morning, my beautiful," Daniel said finally, a beautiful smile on his face. "How are you? I've been waiting for you for a while."

"I'm well, thank you very much, Davide," Alana giggled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "But I must say, I am rather disappointed in you; why is the girl still alive? Don't you want me back?"

"You know I want you back more than anything!" Davide declared, ignoring Winsey's and Arsenio's faces of absolute disgust.

My heart broke all the more. What happened to this morning? When he said he forgave me for being with Arsenio? Did all of that mean absolutely nothing to him?! Tears welled up in my ghostly eyes. I was so done with this heart break! I wanted to scream in Daniel's face, tell him that we were so over, scream that he never wanted me to begin with. But most of all, I wanted him to deny it. I wanted him to tell me that it wasn't true; that he really loved me for me.

"And you, my lovely Emil, how are you now, my love?" Alana asked, turning a seductive smile on the Italian. Even from here I could feel the heat of Daniel's glare on Arsenio at Alana's use of 'my love' to someone other than him.

"Don't speak to me, temptress!" Arsenio spat at her, eyes burning in fury. "Return Elena to us, now!"

"Aww, what happened to our love, Emil?" Alana purred, "You used to love me so much, especially those nights when you came to visit me in my bed…" Oh, gag! Seriously?! Can anyone spell slut for me?

"Our love ended the moment you returned here in Elena's body," Arsenio replied stiffly, "I want nothing more to do with you, especially since you're willing to murder an innocent girl just to live a life that was over for you centuries ago!"

"Yes, very true, very true, but a girl gets what a girl wants; don't you know that? I want to be with you again, Emil; I want the three of us to live together happily. Don't you want that too?"

"You know, Emil, we can put aside our hatred for each other just temporarily," Daniel said, a small smirk on his face. A bit of hope bloomed up inside me; please tell me they were going to band together to defeat this evil witch who was trying to frickin murder me! That flower shriveled away less than a second later. "If we kill Elena, Alana will be back, and we can fight for her fair and square this time around. What do you say? I for one would rather have my lady tigress back rather than that little kitten of a girl."

That dude really knew how to break a girl's heart, didn't he? My heart felt like it was being stabbed with every word he said. Did he really have to be so cruel? What happened to loving me?! I couldn't stand the thought that he had only gotten close to me so he'd have a connection to Alana, but now, now it was useless to deny it. It was true. And it tore my heart to shreds.

"You are a disgusting **monster**!" Arsenio spat at Daniel, "Elena is your girlfriend! And you would toss her away just like that for a woman who died so long ago! Elena is alive; Alana is not. Would you throw away your supposed love for the girl just because your old love has returned? An old love that turned us on each other for the last few centuries?"

"You're just jealous that she always wanted me more than you!" Daniel threw at him, "Now you want Elena because she wants you more than she does me! Well Alana is the real thing! Elena is just a temporary being so we could get Alana back! Elena means **nothing** to me!"

And there went the rest of my heart. Tears spilled down my cheeks. It's not that I hadn't expected it, but to hear it actually said aloud was like a sucker punch to the heart: it hurt like a bitch.

Daniel turned back to my body, which was smirking in amusement at the display in front of her. "I will get you back," Daniel swore, "I lost you all those years ago because Arsenio was a jealous bastard from hell, but I swear it, I will get you back, no matter how many spells I have to perform, how long I have to try, and how much I have to make Elena scream. **I will get you back**."

"Remember, all you have to do is kill the girl," Alana purred, "That's all you have to do. Plunge a knife into her heart and we can be together for eternity." Alana turned a smile onto Arsenio as well, "And you, Emil, my first love, I will always love you, and any time you want me, I will be here waiting for you. Both of us will be."

"Speak not to me, she-devil," Arsenio hissed, "You're never going to get Elena, not while I stand. I'm done with your games, witch!"

As I watched, I was heartened by Arsenio's words. Maybe it was true; maybe Arsenio really did love me… _I should really give him a chance rather than moping about Daniel all day long like Winsey told me to… Wait, Winsey, where is she?_

I swiveled my head around, looking for the small, Chinese girl. Where in the world had she gone? She'd taken the distraction Alana and two men provided perfectly, slipping away to a place where only she knew where she was. I tried not to make my actions too noticeable, or Alana would pick up on what I was doing and find Winsey and hurt her. I didn't know if Alana would be able to tell if Winsey was a hunter or not while she was in my mortal body. Hopefully she wouldn't.

I finally found her… in a tree? What was she doing in a bloody tree? But she was quiet, so quiet. I watched her sneak along the branch, barely making a sound as she kept her eyes trained on my body. And from out of her leather sleeve, she pulled out… a wooden knife.

I just stared dumbfounded at that moment. Who in the world carries a wooden knife with them in their leather jacket? Seriously? That's just flat out creepy, with a capital C. But even so, I watched as she quietly crept along the branch to a spot not far from Alana's head, but still hidden from view so the boys wouldn't see her. What was she planning to do with the wood? Wait… wood… oh no, oh hell **no**!

I tried waving my hands in front of her, trying to catch her attention, but she was too intent on her prey. Bloody **fuck**! The girl was going to stake me! Er, Alana! But Alana is in my body, so isn't that staking me? Ah fuck! No!

But it was no good. I screamed and screamed, but it was nothing. She couldn't hear me.

My best friend made her move to kill me.

Her aim was perfect, her determination was real, and her concentration never wavered.

But the mark never hit the target.

At the very last moment, Daniel and Arsenio both caught on to what was going and managed to jump in the way. Daniel tackled Alana, throwing her to the ground, fear for her life widening her eyes and making them bright with terror. At the exact same moment, Arsenio body slammed Winsey, throwing her right off course and into a tree.

I could see from the fury on Arsenio's face, and could see that he was about to lay it right on her at that very moment, but it never happened.

Alana threw Daniel off her and stalked towards the fallen Winsey, pushing Arsenio out of her way when he tried to defend my best friend. Said person just growled and tried to stand, but apparently Arsenio had been really tough with his throw; I could see pain on Winsey's face even as she tried to move. _Oh man, I hope he didn't break her spine…_

"Bitch," Alana growled, "You dare try to kill me? You **dare**?!"

All Winsey did was whisper, "Go to hell, she-devil," and spit in Alana's face. Ew, she was so going to have to pay me back for that later! That was **my** face she spit on! Damn, even like this I'm selfish…

At that moment, I knew what was going to happen next. I knew what was going to happen. And even as I screamed, Alana back-handed my best friend across the face, sending her flying a good twenty feet, skidding to a halt when she hit the concrete of the stairs.

The small Chinese tried to stand, she really did, and she managed to get out of the way just as Alana was about to pounce on her. Winsey was good, she was really, really good. But Alana had had centuries of practice. And it showed. I was never going to forget the next minute of my life.

Winsey was darting towards the tree she'd been thrown against, trying to get her knife back, and she's just gotten it when Alana reached her. My friend spun backwards, her eyes calculating and precise, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough. She was fast, so fast, and yes! She actually got a hit on Alana's arm!

Her arm darted out and grabbed the arm about to strike. And all it took was a flick of her wrist. That was all it took. All it took. Alana broke my Chinese girl's arm.

I could see Winsey biting her lip to keep from screaming, but her eyes told all her pain. It tore me apart to see her in so much pain, especially when she was trying to help me by getting rid of Alana. I waved my hands in front of Alana, trying to distract her, anything to get her to **leave Winsey alone**!

But it did nothing. If anything, it just seemed to annoy Alana all the more.

I could see the moment an idea sparked to her mind. Alana grabbed Winsey's stake and whispered in her ear, "Let's see how you like being hit, little huntress." That was when she dragged the knife in a deep cut right down her chest to her belly button. Blood flowed from the wound, dripping onto the stairs, staining them an iridescent red. I could barely breathe; it was so horrible!

Winsey hissed in pain, her eyes showing her real agony even as she tried to control it. Where the hell were the guys?! Why weren't they doing anything?!

And that was when Alana did the worst thing of all. She licked up Winsey's blood. She ran my tongue down Winsey's chest and stomach, using her teeth to scrape the torn skin, causing my friend all the more torment. She tried to get away all right, she really did, but Alana was strong and pinned her down. Winsey was completely trapped. And to punish her, Alana back-handed her once more.

And that was when I lost it.

With a scream, I tore at my own body, attacked at my own physical being, trying to make Alana relinquish her hold on my person. She was not staying in there! Not after hurting Winsey like that! There was no way whatsoever she was going to stay there after doing that to my best friend!

I forced myself towards my own being, demanding it returned to me. I pulled myself towards the core of my own being, forcing out the being that had invaded me. "Alana!" I screeched, "Give me back to me!"

And that was when I felt the familiar tug. I followed it quickly, eager to be back in my physical form.

Alana seemed to notice, because she turned to Daniel, her eyes frantic, "She's coming back!" she screamed, "Remember your promise!"

And a moment later, I was myself again.

I blinked my eyes; how had I gotten here? There was something wet under me… What in the world?

I looked down. And screamed.

Winsey laid in a twisted, agonized heap under me, blood gushing from a horrific wound on her chest. But her eyes, beyond the torment, was relief.

"It's about time you got back," she forced out.

"I-," I started. But there was nothing else to say.

My little Chinese girl grimaced once and surrendered to the darkness.


	19. Truth

**Hey everyone!**

**I am so so so so sorry! I've been having a pretty rough year and quite honestly, I just lost interest in this story for a while. But here's the next chapter! I promise I'll be trying to update again by the end of next week, and I should be updating consistently while I'm on break. So, I can't apologize enough for not giving all of you a head's up, but I really hope you enjoy. And to those who were loyal readers before I went on my year-long hiatus... I'll try to find a way to make up for it as long as you give me a hint of what you want to see. Thank you so much!**

**Also, I do not own the Gondola Song; that was taken from Watase Yuu's _Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden_, nor do I own The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare! **

**~Hanieya Okudashu**

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><p><strong>Chapter 19: Truth<strong>

I couldn't remember what happened next; it was all in a huge blur. The ambulance came and took my friend away. Daniel disappeared somewhere in the mess. Arsenio stayed by my side through everything, even going with Winsey and I to the hospital. He stuck close to me, fending off all the police who sought to ask me questions, particularly since blood covered my entire body. I could never tell him how grateful I was for that, and when I moved to thank him for all of it, all he did was smile and shake his head, telling me I never had to thank him until I did something really worth thanking him for. Well, I certainly found this definitely worth thanking for!

But still, he stayed with me, told the officers I was tired and such, but I knew he knew. I knew he knew I couldn't remember anything from what had happened, and his look promised me he'd tell me later. I wanted to thank him for that too, but he turned his attention to Winsey in that moment, and his eyes softened. Arsenio looked truly worried for Winsey, almost as worried as I was. For a moment, I felt a stab of envy, but pushed it down immediately; I had no right to be jealous while my best friend was lying in a hospital bed on the verge of dying! What sort of friend did that?! I swore it wouldn't be me.

Once we got to the hospital, the nurses wouldn't let us in any further as they rushed my friend to the emergency ward. I hoped and prayed that she'd be all right. She had to be all right. I shook my head, dispelling it of all the horrible thoughts; she had to be all right! She was Winsey for goodness sakes! The girl who never stayed down. This time would be no different.

All that time, Arsenio stayed with me. Finally, when he sensed like I might have calmed down a bit, he spoke. "Do you want to know what happened?"

I nodded. So he began.

"As you probably figured out, Alana came into your body again-"

"She what?!" I yelled. What?! Alana had come into my body again!? Ah, well that explained the memory loss, but still! That was just so wrong! Seriously?! Who invaded another person's body?! It was the worst kind of invasion ever!

"Elena, mio amore, please, calm down; others will hear you, and we will attract unnecessary attention."

I sat down obediently, full of restless energy. I had to calm down; if people came over to find out what was wrong, it'd take even longer to find out the problem, and boy would that suck, for everybody, especially the poor sucker who'd have to deal with a pissed off Elena for interrupting a hugely important conversation.

Again Arsenio opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes seemed to spark, and his mouth snapped closed again. Shaking his head, he hid a grin. "I know you've never believed me when I told you what happened between Alana and Davi-Daniel, every time you get taken over. Perhaps this will convince you some."

I gave him a wary look; I wasn't sure anything could convince me that Daniel was trying to kill me.

"I know you're probably wondering what I was doing when Winsey was getting hurt. I apologize, truly, for allowing her to get hurt so badly, but you had to know the truth. I cannot allow you to go back to Daniel while you are unaware of his true intentions." Arsenio said Daniel's name like it was such a dirty word. Maybe to him it was.

He pulled out his phone and held it out to me. What in the hell was he taking his phone out for? After a few quick swipes of his fingers and connecting earphones to the phone, he handed it over to me. I took it warily, unsure of his intentions, but my questions died away as the film began.

My words completely dried up as I watched Alana attempt to kill me, and Daniel… My heart was weeping as Daniel, golden boy Daniel, swore he would kill me for the love of his life. I dropped the phone with shaking fingers as my vision began to blur from tears. This couldn't be real, but damn it… it explained so much.

Vaguely, I heard Arsenio let out a suffering sigh and pull me into his strong arms. He smelled like leather and pine trees. It was kind of creepy that I was smelling him at all, but hey. I had my body snatched away by a psychopath intent on killing me and my best friend was hospitalized because of said psychopath. I think I'd earned the right to be creepy just for a bit.

Arsenio's warm breath ruffled my hair as he finally spoke. "I'm so, so sorry to have to tell you such harsh news, mi amore, but you had to know. Had Davide succeeded in harming you… well, I had to give you some sort of warning. I cannot lose you. Your life is more important to me than your pain."

Well that wasn't exactly romantic, but it was sweet in a…horridly morbid way. I turned my tear-streaked face towards him. I was sure I looked like a complete mess, but with the way he was looking at me, I could believe I was the most beautiful woman in the world. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me the truth."

"Anything for you, mi amore." He pressed his forehead to mine and placed a small kiss on the tip of my nose. It warmed me up right down to my toes.

"What does that mean? Mi amore?" My words were soft, breathy, as I stared into his impossibly green eyes. How could I even manage to think around this amazing, beautiful man? He wasn't just sex on a stick, though there was a hefty amount of that too, but he was like perfection manifested. His personality and looks alone could get him any girl in the world, and honestly, a lot of men too. But for him to love me, for him to choose me, of all people, was a blessing I could never have forseen.

The corners of his lips tipped up in a soft smile. "It means 'my love' in Italian."

Tears welled up in my eyes. How long had he been calling me that? Even longer than I could remember. When I was still with Daniel, he'd already been on my side. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face into his chest. "I love you too, Arsenio."

"Then may I make a small request?"

He must have felt my nod, but he pulled away, out of the circle of my arms. His face softened when I made a small whimpering sound, needing him back with me. Even though he pulled away, he didn't lose contact with me once. His hand came up to cup my face, making me tilt my head to place a soft kiss on his palm. A deep, rumbling sound came up from his throat, sending tingles down my spine. Now that was a hell of a sexy sound.

"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Emil Abandonato, and I was the illegitimate son of Leonardo da Vinci." A small smirk tilted his lips. "My name means 'rival', and my last name implies 'forsaken', both which were often true because of circumstances surrounding my birth and my father's relationship with Michelangelo, whose son was, coincidentally, my best friend, Davide."

My eyes widened until I was sure they were the size of saucers. "You're… the son of Leonardo da Vinci? But you don't take his last name."

"My mother gave me her surname instead, because she and my father never officially married." Once more he touched my forehead with his own and placed a soft kiss at the corners of my lips. I wanted him to kiss me properly. "And you, precious, are my saving light. Elena means 'light' in Latin. You are my light."

My heart swelled at the sweet words. Turning my head, I captured his lips in a searing kiss that sent fire through my veins. Kissing Daniel had never been like this. His lips always been comfortable, sweet, but never fiery. Arsen- No, Emil's kiss, seemed to burn me from the inside out, and consume everything I was.

It was the best kiss I'd ever gotten.

It was over far too soon. Pulling away, he kissed my eyelids tenderly. "I love you, my light. I love you so very much."

Those words spoke to me. Everything he did spoke to me. I finally saw the difference. Daniel's words, though pretty and romantic, lacked a certain emotion that I finally found in Emil's. He'd had a way of saying exactly what I wanted to hear, but a lot of the time he seemed to not be saying them to me, but to someone of the past, Alana. But it wasn't only that. Being in Emil's embrace now, feeling his arms around me, I finally got it. Daniel's arms had been stiff, and his body unyielding. He'd never been in love with me, but only saw the form I was in, and how it resembled his lost love.

But I couldn't find myself to care anymore. I knew what real love was now. I'd found it in the arms of the man holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

"Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,

Before the crimson bloom fades from your lips,

Before the tides of passion cool within you,

For those of you who know no tomorrow."

The soft song fell from my lips as he held me. It seemed to ring so true, especially now when my life was being targeted. Life was so short, compared to Emil's long existence. I only had so much time. I couldn't squander any of it with the wrong man.

"Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,

Before his hands take up his boat,

Before the flush of his cheeks fades,

For those of you who will never return here.

"Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,

Before the boat drifts away on the waves,

Before the hand resting on your shoulder becomes frail,

For those who will never be seen here again.

"Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,

Before the raven tresses begin to fade,

Before the flame in your hearts flicker and die,

For those to whom today will never return."

The last words faded off into the silence of the room. Emil's arms still kept me close to him, but I had no idea what he was thinking. "I think that's just a glorified way of saying yolo," he commented at last.

The thought, and the truth of it, made me laugh softly. Beautiful, kind, and funny. Who could ask for more? "I guess it is."

"But it's a lovely song, sung by an even lovelier woman."

I blushed softly at the compliment. "Are you flirting with me, kind sir?"

"It depends. Is it working?" I laughed again, making him flash me a devious smile that made my heart beat unnaturally flash. So. Sexy. Was it hot in that room or was it just me?

"I'd say so, yeah."

"Good, then you won't slap me for this."

Before I could ask him what 'this' was, his lips were covering mine again, capturing my lips in a searing, life-changing kiss. I swear I'm not over exaggerating when I say that. That kiss alone could have stopped the Cold War. Okay, so maybe I am over exaggerating… It was just an awesome kiss! Don't judge me.

This time, I was the one to pull away from the kiss. I leaned against his chest and relaxed into him, content. He wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me into his lap.

Neither of us spoke for a long time, but it wasn't an awkward silence like it had been with Daniel. We didn't need to speak; we simply existed together in harmony. It was a wonderful feeling. After about maybe an hour or so, he began talking again about things that made absolutely no sense, but I liked hearing him talk, so there was no reason to stop him.

"This is going to sound insanely nerdy to you, but I love the history of words. I like knowing how words have been transformed over the years, how words that mean different things have suddenly become the same word. Like the word 'love'. In Hebrew, love is described in three different words: _ahab_, which means spontaneous, impulsive love, _hesed_, which is used to describe affection and kindness, and _raham_, which is for compassion and brotherly love. But we've taken all those words and just placed them under the single word 'love'. Now, we only add adjectives and adverbs to them to describe what we mean. Not many languages outside English do this. I'm quite sure a lot more are like the Hebrews. Greeks do it too, you know."

I looked up at him as he spoke. I didn't really understand his fascination, but it was nice to listen to him talking, and watch the ways his face and lips moved as he spoke. His facial expressions seemed to come alive when he described something he was particularly passionate about, but other than that, he seemed to take on a semi-permanent mocking and arrogant expression. It was odd to say, but it was super hot. Like Jace from Cassandra Clare's _The Mortal Instruments_. It was funny how Jace looked like Daniel, but he was so much more like Emil.

"And while I'm on the topic of words, did you know that Davide was named after King David? His name means 'beloved', and Alana's means 'attractive' or 'peaceful'." Emil snorted. Hell, how could even that sound sexy? I just couldn't understand it. When I snorted, I sounded like a pig. "I can't say I agree with any of those."

Even while he said that, his face softened at the mention of Alana and Davide, and it sent a pang to my heart. Even though he insisted against it, a part of him still loved his past love and best friend. But now they were trying to kill me. I was forcing him to choose between me and the two people who had once been the most important beings in his existence.

He could go on and on all he wanted, but I knew the truth. He still cherished them. And how could he not? Daniel, despite the many years that had passed, was still his best friend, and Alana his first love.

The realization sent an uncomfortable pang through me. How could he be with me if being with me meant keeping me alive, and keeping me alive meant destroying Daniel and Alana? My hand began twitching. There had to be a way around this. It wasn't fair to make him choose one or the other.

I opened my mouth to speak, but at that moment, a single voice rang into the near silence. "Not to interrupt, but ya know, I am kinda broken over here. I'd appreciate the help."

My head whipped around so fast I swear I heard my neck crack. My eyes widened as I leaped out of Emil's arms. "WINSEY!"


	20. Just For Now

**Okay, so maybe I might have lied about updating once a week until school started... I'm really having a bit of trouble finishing this story, even though I do kind of know what I want to do with it. Now, because of that broken promise, I will only TELL you that I will attempt to post one more time before schools starts again. To all my loyal readers, thank you so very, very much for keeping up with me no matter how many times I disappoint you! You are the reason I have the inspiration to write again. For you guys, I hope you all enjoy.**

**~Hanieya Okudashu**

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: Just For Now<strong>

My little Chinese girl was broken.

Literally. Not figuratively.

I'm still trying to decide which would be more painful.

Her arm hung in a sling, and bandages covered a large portion of her neck and face. Her free arm clutched a crutch, as she dragged a leg behind her. I couldn't remember how she'd gotten any of those injuries, but hell, I was just glad she was alive!

I made to run towards her, but she shook her head, wincing as she pulled at some stitches. "I'm battered, and covered in more blood than I normally like to be. For the safety of your clothes and hair, it would be better for you not to."

"I don't care about that stuff! I'm just glad you're alive!"

She blinked at me, as if in shock. "You'd risk your clothes just to hug me?"

Seriously, did she really think I was that shallow? My annoyance warred with my relief, but it was quick to disappear; she was alive!

I paused in front of her, and that was when I got my first good look at her. Dark circles lined her eyes, and her shoulders were a bit hunched over, something I hadn't even noticed from a few meters away. Her eyes lacked the life I was so familiar with, and instead, darkness had taken residence. Her spirit had been broken along with her body.

"Why did you do that for me?" I asked softly, a hand reaching out to touch her. I wanted to, wanted to make sure she wasn't going to collapse and die on me. But she was covered in so many bandages I was worried about hurting her even more.

"Because you're my best friend," she smiled softly. "That, and this is my life. I was expecting it, especially with two of their kind fighting over you."

She'd risked her own life for me knowingly.

It broke my heart just a little bit more.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, burying my face in her shoulder. "Thank you. You shouldn't have done that. You almost died."

She chuckled softly, but I could hear the pain underlying the humorous sound. "Hun, you really don't know me that well if you think I'm going to die. Believe me, I've gotten into much uglier situations."

How morbid was she that she could joke about stuff like this? If I were her, I'd probably be rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere cursing life and contemplating drinking myself into a stupor, if only to numb out my pain. I wasn't even in pain, and that sounded mightily appealing right about now…

My mind drifted off, thinking about all the kinds of whiskey and vodka I could sneak into my house – not that I'm encouraging underage drinking, but I'm in a very stressful situation! That is, until fingers snapped in front of my face.

My eyes snapped straight back to Winsey, who had raised a single eyebrow. Huh, for some reason, I'd been under the impression that she couldn't do that. Oh well.

"Dude, my face isn't off in whatever la la land you were occupying a minute ago," she said dryly. Ah, that humor. I was always torn about whether or not it annoyed me or amused the hell out of me. This was one of those times when it was the former.

"What is it? You distracted me from thinking about Russian vodka," I pouted, crossing my arms. Russian vodka was some strong stuff, and it sounded absolutely wonderful right at that moment.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to stay the night at my place, for safety's sakes. You and Arsenio both." She nodded at Emil, whose eyes narrowed.

"You'll get me killed."

Winsey waved a hand dismissively at his accusation. Why? Bringing him into a den of hunters certainly did seem like she was trying to kill him. It was like bringing a deer in front of a pack of starving wolves. Actually, maybe not starving, but wolves either way. "I can sneak you in. How do you think I managed to date Kyden for that long?"

"Now I see how you got him killed," Emil commented, rolling his eyes. Even I was thinking that. _Winsey is usually a lot smarter than that… She really snuck a vampire into her house, a house full of hunters, and expected him not to be killed? That's really pushing it a bit, and that's coming from the person who takes risks like there's no tomorrow._

Winsey laughed softly, "He actually asked to be introduced to my family, but that's where I put my foot down. He snuck into my room a couple of times while we were together." She smiled sadly as she limped down the stairs of the hospital. Somehow, that girl had charmed her way to an early release – I want that ability! It's like a freaking super power!

"It was ironic, actually. They didn't find him when he had snuck over, but actually when my family was on a group hunt. I didn't realize he was following us to make sure I was safe." A small smile touched her lips at that point. I swooned internally at the thought of that; how sexy was it that even in facing danger, the guy would worry more about his love than his own life? Stupid, maybe, but still totally swoon-worthy. "I didn't notice one of them was on me and was about to kill me, and Kyden shoved me out of the way. But my parents recognized what he was right away. They captured him after I begged them not to kill him straight away, and well…shit hit the fan after that."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Did she just…swear? Winsey never swore! It was like, in some sort rule book that Winsey didn't say bad words! Ever. Like, EVER. It was just something that didn't happen. I need to emphasize that it doesn't happen **EVER**.

She must have caught sight of my face, because she chuckled softly. "High school's had a strange sort of effect on me, ya know? I'm sure you do, cuz it's done the same to you."

She shrugged, like it was normal, and continued walking, though at a much slower pace than it would've been if she were fully healed. Neither Emil nor I complained.

Despite what she said, Winsey respected Emil's wishes and didn't return home. Instead, she hopped onto the bus, smiling at all the people she passed, before she took a seat near the door. She looked out the window, disregarding our presence entirely.

"Winsey…where are we going?" Emil asked, glancing at her in confusion as the pair of us took seats in front of her. I loved how he took my hand as if it was instinctive. His fingers laced with mine, and gave mine a soft squeeze. Adorable!

The little Chinese girl didn't reply. We gave each other another glance. She was clearly awake, unless she'd learned to sleep with her eyes open, so why wasn't she answering us? I moved to tap her shoulder. "Winsey, you there?"

Before I could make contact, her hand was suddenly on my wrist, and a feral look in her eyes. "Don't. Touch. Me."

My eyes widened in fear, and my heart started to race. What was she saying? She was looking at me like I was a monster. I did have someone taking over my body every once in a while…maybe I was.

Winsey seemed to shake, and she released my wrist instantly, cursing under her breath. "Sorry, I was off in my own world. I don't really respond well to people touching me without permission, as I'm sure you've noticed." She ran a hand through her hair tiredly, then rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion seemed to pour out of every crevice of her body. Hell, she was probably dreaming about her bed, but she was still helping me, suffering for me, and for what? Because I was her friend. And I was a friend that only called on her when I needed unbiased help.

I'm a horrible person.

She turned back to her window after that, and somehow, Emil and I both knew it would be unwise to try to get her attention again. Instead, we sat quietly together, speaking softly of everything and anything. It was just nice to be able to spend time as a couple, no matter how little time we had.

Somehow, about half an hour later, we found ourselves inside a McDonalds, with several burgers before Winsey, a set of fries, drinks, and ice-cream. Emil and I were both staring eyes wide. Where the hell did she put all of that? There didn't seem to be any fat on her at all anymore, but she just kept eating and eating away until nearly half of it was gone.

Finally, she stopped and let out a long breath, eyes closed. "Much better. I am no longer hungry now." She smiled brilliantly at the two of us, like she hadn't given me a death-stare just a while ago. "Now, you understand where we were going, and why. The food at the hospital really isn't all that awesome, ya know? I needed grease in my system before I could even think about attempting to function like a normal person." She yawned and picked up her drink, taking a long gulp before continuing.

"So, your problem. You have a psycho bitch trying to steal your body. I really wish I could say I've dealt with a case like this before, but I haven't. So, this requires a hell of a lot of research on my part, and careful investigation on your part. What drives the change? What similar details have you noticed about each encounter?"

"It's always when Daniel and Emil are in the same room," I said instantly.

Her face turned contemplative instantly. "They did cause her death, so perhaps it's only around them? Or when you feel the most intense emotions. And yet, that cannot be, because I imagine you felt intense emotion when Daniel caught you with Arsenio, and yet, you did not succumb to her, unless I am mistaken?"

I shook my head slowly. "She couldn't get to me, but she was there. But why would being around Emil and Daniel cause **me** any sort of intense emotions? They've both in some way been romantically involved with me, but that's it."

"It may not cause you intense emotion, but it creates intense emotion in her." A small smile touched her lips. "In her strong emotions, her desire to invade you becomes greater, and makes her stronger. In your whirlwind emotions, you become panicked, and weaker. Does that kind of make sense?"

I nodded slowly. It was kind of clear… In my panic, I lost a bit of hold on myself, became less in tune with myself, in a way, and that gave her the perfect opening to get to me, while in her intense emotions, her determination to control me grew stronger, and made her already great strength even more so.

"Wait, why do I need to know this?"

She gave me a droll look, like she couldn't believe I was asking such a foolish question. Maybe it was foolish. "Because if we know what causes it, we can find a way to stop it. It's a temporary solution until we can fully get rid of her."

"So…what do I do? Take Xanax?"

"I'm not sure that would be wise." The words came from Emil this time. "If you stay calm the entire time, your will might weaken even more, and make it even easier for her to get to you. Besides, that doesn't really stop her from getting into you at all." _The way he makes it sound so sexual, but hell, he could breathe and I'd be hot._ The thought made me blush, but it was so damn true.

Emil shot me a glance, and a smug smirk appeared on his lips, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. How had it gone from serious to sexy so quickly? He winked, before turning back to Winsey, who was rolling her eyes at us. Her eyes missed nothing. This was one of the times when it was annoying rather than helpful.

Winsey shook her head and ignored the looks Emil was sending me that made my cheeks flame. "He's right. Any anxiety pills are out of the running." She smiled softly. "You'll like this solution, I think."

"What would you have us do?" My eyes shot to Emil immediately. Us? That just filled me up with all sorts of warm and fuzzies. He grinned at me and pulled me over so suddenly that the next thing I knew, I was sitting in his lap.

I blushed softly and groaned. "Emil… We're in public."

"I know. It's the perfect time to show off my new girlfriend." Even more warm and fuzzies! I saw a small smile touch Winsey's lips, as she nodded her approval. Oh. Yay! My best friend approved of my choices! I knew that if she'd seen the kinds of boyfriends I had before, she would be looking at me with disappointment. Out of everyone, I just didn't want her disappointed in me, ever. She had this look she gave me that made me feel like shit.

My thoughts flew away as Emil ducked his head down to my ear. His lips brushed the arch, making liquid fire flow through my veins. A small whimper escaped my lips. "Emil…"

"Lord, I've never loved my name more than when you say it like that." I could practically feel his chuckle before his next words blew my mind. "Of course, I'll probably love it more when I make you scream it." Hot. Damn.

I was sure my cheeks were on fire by then, but oh no, Emil wasn't done just yet. "But back on topic. I won't let you deal with this alone. You'll have to put a stake through my heart before you can even consider going on without me." Sexy, and protective. What had I done to deserve such a perfect man?

I turned my head towards him, just as his mouth tilted down towards mine. But just a moment before our lips touched, a cough interrupted us. We both glared at Winsey. She didn't seem to care. "If you're not too busy, we really need to get back to how to protect your butt so he can still admire it." Well that was crude. True, but crude.

"Okay, then how do you propose we do so?" Emil asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. He expected me to think when he was that close to me? Jeez. I could barely breathe.

"I need you to move, Emil," I managed to choke out.

"Why? I rather like being here."

"I. Can't. Breathe!"

Winsey chuckled softly and waved a finger. "I really think you should move; I need her brain functioning at the moment. You'll have all the time you want later to cuddle and be cutesy.

I could feel the glare Emil shot at Winsey, but he released me, leaning back against his seat. He didn't move his arms from around me though. Well, at least he wasn't breathing in my ear. My brain fog was beginning to clear up just a little bit.

"Make this quick, Asian. I'd rather like to get back to my girlfriend."

When was I going to stop blushing? Probably not today. Oh cool. I'd be a walking tomato for the rest of the day. I cursed under my breath. "What's that, love?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking about tomatoes." I smiled cheekily and poked his nose.

Winsey snapped a finger in front of both of us just as Emil opened his mouth. "No. No more talking from either of you. I talk, you listen."

We both shut up. Mostly because Winsey looked like she was getting pissed off. And she'd stopped eating. Crap was getting serious when she stopped eating.

"I just need the two of you to stay close. I need you to be like a bodyguard for her." _How does that make sense? That would just make my emotions even wilder! _Again, she must have caught my look, because she just smiled. "Those sort of intense emotions make you more in tune with who you are. They aren't panicky or wild, but rather happy, explosive, you could say. Sound right? Yeah. You two need to stay around each other. The only problem is that if Daniel pops up. And because of that particular problem, you're going to have alternate accommodations for a while. Both of you. Together. Don't make me regret this."

My mind was stuck on that one part: staying together. My mind tipped in another direction: alternate accommodations. Holy hell.

My facial expression must have shown my wild – and horribly inappropriate – thoughts, because Winsey groaned under her breath. "No. I need you with me for like, 5 more minutes before you can go off and be dirty, yes? Yes. So, the two of you will be staying in one of my safe houses. Being what we are, and what we do, it's natural to have a few nearby, so you'll be staying in one of those. I'm the only one who has the password to that particular one, though others know of its location. No one will be able to get in but me."

"What about our parents?" My parents would freak if I went missing for a few days! And I couldn't possibly worry them like that; what kind of thanks would that be for all the years they'd provided food, house and love for me?

Winsey let out a long breath. Oh no. That didn't sound good. "Arsenio. Compulsion."

My mind blanked; what was she saying? I glanced at Arsenio, who had paled. "Why do you say that? Can you not simply charm them?"

"I suppose I could, but there is no guarantee how long this will take. People grow suspicious when others disappear for so long. It's much easier if you just convince them not to worry. You'd only have to talk to her parents, closest friends and teachers."

It finally clicked in my brain what she was saying. To say my reaction was dramatic would be an understatement. I shot out of my seat, hands clenched in fists. "What are you **saying**?!"

Winsey lifted her hands in a placating gesture, but I was way past trying to calm down. "No! You listen to me! How dare you even think of such a thing?!"

I felt large, warm hands take my own and rub soothing circles into the back of my hand. "Love, just listen to her, alright?"

I glared at Emil, but damn, how could I deny him when he looked at me like that? He was doing his best to help me; the least I could do was listen to judgment. Swearing under my breath, I sat down and crossed my arms and legs, refusing to submit to the warmth of his embrace.

"Thank you," Winsey said softly. "Now, about that. The point is to make sure your parents don't worry about you while you're gone. All I would ask Arsenio to tell them is to not be concerned when you disappear. When you return, he'll wipe the compulsion away and all will be as it was."

"All will be as it was?" I spat. "You're asking me to be okay with mind control!"

Winsey glanced around the restaurant quickly; we were drawing a bit of attention from people near us, but she only had to flash a small smile before they turned back to their food. Her eyes flashed when she turned her attention back to me. "I need you to think logically just for one second." Her hands gripped the table until I could almost hear the wood creak. "You know what I am. You know what I do. I hate them, Elena. I hate a lot of the vampires more than I could ever say, and the thing I hate most? It's their mind control-."

"Then you should understand more than anyone why this is unacceptable!"

"It's because of that that you should know how desperate I am!" Winsey finally snapped. Her eyes flashed as she forced herself to calm. When she spoke, her voice was icy cold. "I wouldn't ask for this if I could think of another solution that would guarantee your safety." Her hands were shaking in rage at my accusation, but I was too damn pissed off to care! She was suggesting that Emil twist my parents' and best friends' thoughts! It was like mind rape!

I opened my mouth to say more, but she shook her head sharply. "I'm asking this for them. If you can think of another solution, I'd love to hear it, but other than that, this is the only way."

"Why do I have to move at all? I can stay where I am!"

"Daniel knows where you live; he could come find you at any time. Do you want to risk your death, and his using your parents as hostage? Cuz I sure as hell don't."

Shoot. I hadn't even considered that. "What's to stop him from going after him while I'm gone?"

"Let me handle that part. I'll keep an eye on them, or have a few friends of mine keep an eye on them. They'll stay safe. Besides, with you gone, I'll have one less person to worry about, and I won't have to worry about Alana tossing me around again. I don't really have to tell you how much that sucked."

I let out a long breath. I still hated it. I hated the very idea that they'd lose control, even if it was only for a minute, and it was to keep us all safe. And under all of that, maybe at the root of it, was just a deep hate of running away, and needing others to protect me.

But hell, she was so right! It was selfish of me to risk others' lives just because I wanted to be comfortable. My parents wouldn't be upset with my leaving, because Emil would convince them that it was okay. It went against all my morals…but hell, perhaps there really was no choice.

If it was okay with Winsey, a trained and seasoned vampire hunter, if she really said there was no other choice, maybe there was truly no other choice.

I let out a long breath, and met Winsey's eyes. I nodded once. "Let's do it."


End file.
